Bari Climate Patterns

Bari has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, held in check at both extremes by the sea it sits on.

Summer

July and August are hot and almost rainless, with highs usually between 29 and 32°C. The sea keeps the peaks lower than inland Puglia manages, but it also keeps humidity up, so the perceived temperature on a still day can be considerably worse than the reading. Afternoon sea breezes are reliable along the lungomare and are the reason the seafront fills in the late afternoon.

Winter

Winters are mild and grey rather than cold. January highs run about 12 to 13°C and frost is uncommon in the city itself, though the plain behind it is colder. Snow in Bari is rare enough to stop the city when it happens.

Rain and wind

Around 550 millimetres a year, concentrated from October to March, often arriving as short violent storms that overwhelm the drains — the lame behind the city flood quickly. The tramontana off the Balkans can make winter feel raw; the scirocco brings humid heat and African dust in summer.

The sea

Warm enough to swim from June to October. The Adriatic here is clear and shallow off the rocks, and the city swims from concrete platforms as much as from sand.

Spring

April and May are the pleasantest stretch of the year: the plain behind the city is green, the sea is still cold but the air is warm, and the wind drops. The San Nicola feast falls at exactly the right moment for it.

Shoulder seasons

May, June, September and October are all excellent — warm, dry, and without the August heat or the August emptiness of a city whose residents have gone to the coast.