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Corsica Climate: When to go?

This post is also available in: Italiano

The climate of Corsica is Mediterranean, characterized by mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers, but this is due to the mountainous conformation of the island, which in several points exceeds two thousand meters in height. The Mediterranean climate characterizes the coastal strip of the island, while inland the climate varies with increasing altitude, up to alpine-type microclimates in the mountains, where frequent rainfall is recorded, and in winter the snow is persistent outside above 1,200-1,500 meters. Among the winds, the libeccio predominates, but the sirocco, tramontana and mistral also blow.

The temperatures vary with the altitude, but along the coast they are mild in winter and hot in summer, the western coast is, in summer, slightly cooler than the eastern one, in Ajaccio there are average minimum temperatures ranging between 3.9 °C in January and 16.5°C in August, while in Bastia the average minimum temperatures vary between 3.8°C in February and 18.8°C in August, the average maximum temperatures reach, in August, 28 2°C in Bastia and 27.7°C in Ajaccio, while the average maximum temperatures in January reach 12.1°C in Bastia and 13.3°C in Ajaccio.

Precipitation is higher along the eastern coast, in Bastia there is an annual average of 759 mm, while it is slightly lower along the western coast, in Ajaccio the annual average is 605 mm, in the interior it rains more, in the mountains record average annual values ranging between 1,000 mm and 1,300 mm.

The rainiest months are those in autumn, between October and December, with October being the rainiest month ever, the driest months are those between May and September. Snow appears in the Corsican mountains from December to March.

The sea water temperature of Corsica is above 20°C from June to October, with values in July, August and September between 23°C and 24°C.

WHEN TO GO TO CORSICA?

The best time to visit Corsica are the months of spring and summer, from April to September, which are the least rainy and hottest months.

CORSICA CLIMATE TABLES

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AIACCIO (9 m)
MonthAverage low (°C)Average high (°C)Rain (mm)
January3,913,373
February4,313,769
March5,315,058
April7,317,452
May10,620,940
June13,824,519
July16,227,611
August16,527,719
September14,425,443
October11,422,087
November7,717,559
December4,814,475
YEAR  605

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BASTIA (12 m)
MonthAverage low (°C)Average high (°C)Rain (mm)
January4,312,160
February3,812,790
March5,414,378
April7,716,562
May12,121,043
June16,025,433
July18,227,711
August18,828,239
September15,424,348
October12,120,4106
November8,216,092
December5,413,292
YEAR  759

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CORSICA SEA WATER TEMPERATURE

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CORSICA
MonthSea water Temperature (°C)
January14
February13
March14
April15
May16
June20
July23
August24
September23
October21
November18
December15

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This post is also available in: Italiano