Is it raining now in Florence?
Sunny
9 SeptNo upcoming precipitation for the next hour.
Last update: 14:00, 9 Sept 2026
Free to download * Essential from $0.83 * Prices vary by region and promotions.
- App Only
Track up to 20 locations
Home, office, kids' school - all at once, no switching tabs.
- App Only
Alerts for each of them
Get notified 15 minutes before rain - while you can still change your plans.
- App Only
Widgets on your home screen
Live radar without opening the app - on your lock screen or home screen.
Rain in Florence: What You Need to Know
Florence sees roughly 870-955mm of rain a year across 85-90 rain days, with November the wettest month at about 131mm over 14 rainy days. A Florence rain radar matters here because the city sits low in a river basin — hyperlocal radar can show rain building over the surrounding hills well before it reaches the Duomo, giving a head start that a single forecast figure cannot.
Florence sits in the Arno river basin, ringed by the hills of Fiesole to the north and the Chianti hills to the south. That ring lifts and funnels moist air from Atlantic and Genoa Low frontal systems arriving from the west and southwest, producing orographic enhancement right over the city. The same basin geometry traps humidity and fog in winter and concentrates runoff from Apennine tributaries straight into the historic center — the shape that made the catastrophic flood of 4 November 1966 possible, when 43cm of rain fell upstream in 24 hours.
RainViewer shows rain bands forming over the Chianti and Fiesole hills in real time, alongside the colour-coded Protezione Civile alerts issued for the Arno basin during sustained autumn rain. A live radar view of the basin — not a daily forecast — is what tells you whether a shower over the hills will reach the Ponte Vecchio in the next half hour.
Rain by Season in Florence
Autumn wet season (October–November).
Rain peaks around 110-131mm a month, driven by Genoa Low cyclogenesis and orographic lift off the surrounding hills; this is also when the vendemmia grape harvest is under way in the Chianti hills, right as the wet season builds.
Dry summer (July–August).
Florence drops to around 30mm a month, with short, sharp convective thunderstorms (temporali) rather than sustained rain.
Winter and spring.
December–February brings steadier, cooler rain and valley fog rather than downpours; a secondary spring rise (March–April) follows as fronts return, and the olive harvest follows the grape harvest into November.
Why You Need a Rain Radar in Florence
Santa Croce and the Arno banks.
Santa Croce is the lowest-lying district and, along with Ognissanti and the Oltrarno near Ponte Vecchio, carries the city's historic flood exposure — the reference point for anyone near the river during heavy autumn rain.
Florence Airport flood sensitivity.
Florence Airport at Peretola (FLR) sits on the low Arno floodplain and is sensitive to river-basin flood alerts, worth checking before a flight during sustained rain.
Duomo and Uffizi queues.
Tourism crowds queuing for the Duomo, Uffizi, and Ponte Vecchio rely on short-notice rain checks to avoid an exposed wait in the open.
Oltrarno leather workshops.
Artisan leather workshops and fashion houses in the Oltrarno district depend on foot traffic that rain and heat directly affect.
Hill valley flash flooding.
Summer brings hail-bearing temporali and occasional nubifragio flash flooding in the valleys around the city, a risk for anyone heading into the Chianti hinterland.
RainViewer Radar Coverage in Florence
RainViewer draws radar data for Italy from the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile (Italian Civil Protection Department) national radar network, supplemented by regional radar systems from ARPA agencies including ARPA Veneto, ARPAE Emilia-Romagna, ARPA FVG, and ARPAL, updated every 5 minutes. Coverage spans the Italian mainland, Sicily, and Sardinia. From Florence the map also covers Pisa and Empoli downstream on the Arno, and the Chianti hills to the south.
Florence Rain Radar: Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it raining in Florence right now?
Check the hyperlocal radar for live rain over Florence, updated every 5 minutes from the Protezione Civile national network. Rain forming over the Chianti or Fiesole hills often reaches the Arno basin floor minutes later.
- Is it a good day to visit the Duomo or Uffizi?
Scan the live radar before joining an outdoor queue near the Duomo or Uffizi. A short temporale can clear in under an hour, so checking the radar beats writing off the whole day.
- Will rain affect a walk along the Arno?
Rain building over the hills upstream can raise the Arno's flow before it's visibly raining in the city center. Check radar direction and river-basin alerts before a riverside walk during autumn storms.
- Does Florence flood?
Florence's worst flood risk sits in Santa Croce, Ognissanti, and the Oltrarno near Ponte Vecchio, the low-lying districts closest to the Arno. The 1966 flood remains the benchmark event, and Protezione Civile still issues basin-wide alerts during sustained autumn rain.
- When is the best time to visit Florence for dry weather?
July and August are Florence's driest months at around 30mm each, against November's 131mm peak. Spring and early summer offer a milder middle ground before the July heat and short storms set in.
- Why does rain vary so much across Florence?
The hills ringing the Arno basin — Fiesole to the north, Chianti to the south — lift and intensify moisture from fronts arriving off the west and southwest, so rain often builds over the hills before the basin floor. That same ring traps fog and humidity in winter.
- How often does the Florence radar update?
RainViewer refreshes Florence's radar every 5 minutes using the Protezione Civile national network, tracking rain as it moves off the surrounding hills into the Arno basin. That is faster than any hourly forecast update.
- Can I get a rain alert for Florence?
Yes — set a rain alert for a specific point, such as Piazza della Signoria or Florence Airport, and get notified before rain arrives there. That beats checking a forecast app and hoping it caught the shift off the hills.
Track Rain in Florence in Real Time
Rain over the Chianti hills can reach the Duomo in under half an hour, while a forecast icon still says "cloudy." Florence's basin geography means rain builds fast on the hills before it ever touches the historic center.
RainViewer gives you a 2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices, rain alerts before a storm reaches Ponte Vecchio, direction arrows showing whether the front is arriving from the west off the Tyrrhenian or building locally over Fiesole, 48 hours of radar history, and tracking across multiple locations — the Duomo, the Oltrarno, and Florence Airport at once.
A forecast says "rain later." Live hyperlocal radar shows the storm already forming over the Chianti hills, street by street.
Track rain in Florence — free Upgrade to Essential for alerts, forecasts, and full radar history
RainViewer
