Sicily weather in mid-May
 

It's now less than 2 months away from our trip to Sicily for the last 2 weeks of May and my planning is now turning to considerations of weather and appropriate clothing. I've begun to look at Weather Underground for historical weather patterns and I was interested to see that the typical weather is mostly in the upper 60s and 70s for the high temps (with a rare high in the 90s and a few in the 80s).

Having been to Andalucia last year during this same time period (very hot!), I had been thinking of my primary outfit as capris and sandals, but now I'm not so sure. So for those who've been to Sicily at this time, what type of clothing did you find most appropriate for the weather? Long pants vs capris? Sandals vs closed shoes? Of course I will have a light jacket/shawl for the evenings, but I'm trying to get a sense of what is most appropriate for the daytime. Suggestions are welcome!

Many thanks for all your help!

Paule

Honestly, progol, I don't see how any of us can answer -- not only is it a time of year during which Sicily experiences a "normal" range of temperature fluctuations day to day and midnight to noon, but moreover, we are in a time of unusually fluctuating deviations from normality. I appreciate your desire to nail it down, but don't think any of us can do so. :-(

My advice: Plan for the average RANGES reported in reputable sources (the ranges should reflect typical variation for the time of year). Figure out whether you, personally, will need options if temperatures are widely discrepant. (Ex: I hate being cold, so I always carry a silk scarf -- easy to tuck into a corner, yet surprisingly warm if needed.)

Good luck!

We were there the first 2 weeks of October, and it was hot. Even when it rained in Palermo,it was so humid that it felt hot.
I'm planning capris and sandals, but I always take layers because we have encountered unexpectedly cold weather on some of our trips.

I also take a closed shoe, a sandal and a dress sandal and have always used all of them.

I also take a closed shoe, a sandal and a dress sandal and have always used all of them.>>

Progol, I'm the same as sundried - and I agree, I use them all, if only to give my feet a rest from just wearing one sort of shoe. Even in Cuba we had rain and the proper walking shoe was invaluable, as it could be if you want to do any serious walking around Agrigento, for example.

As for trousers v capris - I travel in light trousers, and pack a second pair, plus 2 pairs of capris. then 2-3 sleeveless T/shirts, one with sleeves, couple of shirts I can wear over the top of the T/shirts and a cardigan, plus a very thin and light rainproof jacket which goes in the carry-on, in case it's wet when we arrive. oh, and sometimes I add a thin skirt just for variety in the evenings.

All of that covers a multitude of conditions - even cold weather when I could wear the whole lot!

Many thanks -- layers are of course the way to go. I just was curious what people's experience of the weather in the latter half of May. My impression from reading is that September is generally warmer, but I could be wrong.

Many thanks -- layers are of course the way to go. I just was curious what people's experience of the weather in the latter half of May. My impression from reading is that September is generally warmer, but I could be wrong.>>

in a way I hope you are wrong, progol, because that's when we're going and I'd prefer not to frazzle!

I haven't been there in September, but May in Sicily is absolutely gorgeous, with wildflowers abloom everywhere. It'll be hot in the ruins, but in the places where you can get shade, and especially sea breezes, it can be quite pleasant. BUT, of course, no guarantees about when YOU will be there. :-(

We travelled there in May and it was quite warm most days.
I remember bringing two seersucker shirts that I assumed were cotton, only to find that they were polyester. I could
only wear them at night.

If I were you, I would wear closed shoes during the day.
I don't think sandals will give you enough support on
town streets or at the sights. Save the sandals for evening wear.

You will love Sicily in May.

I wear sandals with lots of support, so it depends on your sandals, but you could still get rain showers in May, so you'll also need to bring a closed shoe that is somewhat waterproof.

By May the overhead sun will be strong enough that you will feel downright hot marching about in shadeless places in the afternoons, but the sea will not have warmed up so much -- so you are likely to get pleasant breezes and evening temps. If you plan on going into the mountains, you will need clothes warmer than you wore in Andalucia, but otherwise I think Andalucia is a good guide.

If you haven't already asked your question on TripAdvisor, I recommend that you do. A couple of native Sicilians regularly answer questions over there, and they try very hard to be accurate and helpful. Tell them specifically where you are going.

Many thanks for the description of Sicily in May -- it is very helpful, and I do have a good idea of how to manage.

sandralist, I have used TA for planning, and will also ask Vagabonda for her thoughts!

we were there last may for a month and the weather was absolutely perfect - mid 70s and sunny every day no matter where we were. seldom needed a jacket, even in the early morning or evening. interesting that we hare going to be in andalucia about the same time this year. sure hope that it is not very hot.

toledodd,
Last year definitely had a heat wave for a little while, and it was in the upper-80s/90s when we were in Seville, and was over 100 degrees in Granada! But from what I remember in my research, temps in the 80s, even 90s is not unusual during that time period:

https://www.wunderground.com/history...eqdb.wmo=08391

But I never found the heat overwhelming, and I can be very sensitive to temperature -- it wasn't nearly as humid as it gets here in NYC, and of course, there's always siesta time to enjoy some good tapas!

i see that you are from nyc - my fav city in the world. son got is doc at columbia and daughter has lived in brooklyn for the last 15 years. the only large city that i don't feel overwhelmed in. high on my bucketlist is living there for 6 months but so expensive.

a couple of off the beaten track places that we discovered last may in sicily

SCALA DEL TURCHI - a great place on the south coast. spectacular sites and very few people

POGGIOREALE & GIBELINA - as we drove from palermo to the south coast. these are two villages where an earthquake struck in 1968 (?). one is still in ruins while the other has made a creative recovery. well worth a side trip if you are interested in seeing places that probably 98% of visitors never see or even have heard of.

We were in Taormina for a week in 2014 and the weather was very comfortable. At night my wife wore a light jacket and I wore a long sleeved heavy denim shirt.

Buon viaggio,

We went to POGGIOREALE & GIBELINA and they were indeed interesting places to check out if in the area.

Thanks for the suggestions, toleldod & yestravel - I will see if we can drive through Poggioreale and/or Giblina on our way to or from Selinunte. And glad to hear that you liked Scala del Turchi - it is on my list of places to visit, if time permits.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions.

toledadd - glad you love NYC! I'm biassed as I'm born and bred here, but I do love the city and agree that it's the best in the world, too (though I have many second favorites!).

rbciao47, Thanks for the info about the weather - just exactly the kind of description that helps me get an idea of what to expect. I know that it can be variable, of course, but this gives me a baseline to work from.