Is it raining now in Venice?
Light rain
9 SeptStarting at 14:40.
Last update: 14:00, 9 Sept 2026
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Rain in Venice: What You Need to Know
Venice gets about 1,127 mm of rain a year across roughly 110 rain days, with two wet peaks rather than one — spring and autumn (May, September, November) each average 130-140+ mm, while winter and the mid-summer lull run driest. A Venice rain radar matters more here than almost anywhere else in Italy, because hyperlocal radar is the only way to see rain arriving alongside the tide, not separately from it.
The mechanism is the lagoon itself. Venice sits at the mouth of the Po/Adriatic basin, where Atlantic fronts arrive from the W/SW as usual, but the distinctive local driver is the scirocco — a southeasterly wind off the Adriatic that piles up moisture and pushes seawater into the lagoon at the same time. That coupling of rain and tidal surge is why a forecast built for an inland city fails Venice completely: the historic 4 November 1966 acqua alta reached 194 cm, and that event was as much about wind-driven sea level as it was about rainfall.
RainViewer pulls live radar from the Dipartimento della Protezione Civile and regional Veneto feeds, refreshed every 5 minutes. Alongside the MOSE barrier system, which now closes the lagoon inlets ahead of forecast exceptional tides, live radar shows the rain component of an acqua alta event building in real time, hours before St. Mark's Square would otherwise flood.
Rain by Season in Venice
Autumn (Oct-Nov)
The acqua alta season — the highest astronomical tides combine with scirocco-driven storm surge and rainfall, producing Venice's worst flood risk window of the year. The Regata Storica (September) and Venice Film Festival (late Aug-Sept) both sit just before this peak.
Spring (May)
A secondary wet peak tied to the same Atlantic frontal pattern, though flood risk is lower since tides are less extreme.
Summer (Jun-Aug)
The driest and warmest season, dominated by tourism and occasional short convective storms rather than sustained rain.
Winter (Dec-Feb)
Lower rainfall but frequent fog and cold; still within the broader acqua alta risk window given tidal timing.
Why You Need a Rain Radar in Venice
Acqua alta and St. Mark's Square.
St. Mark's Square is the first area of the city to flood when tide, surge, and rain combine above roughly 80-90 cm over mean — live radar shows the rain component building alongside the tide forecast.
Vaporetto route planning.
The historic center's water-bus network suspends or reroutes during acqua alta; residents and visitors check radar before a vaporetto trip to Murano or Burano to avoid a stranded crossing.
Marco Polo Airport transfers.
Travelers arriving at Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) can check live rain radar before booking a water taxi or bus transfer into a historic center that may be affected by surge.
Murano and Burano artisan visits.
Glassblowing on Murano and lace-making on Burano draw day-trippers whose plans hinge on lagoon crossings — a live radar check before departure avoids a scirocco-driven surge mid-visit.
Mestre and Porto Marghera rail and industry.
The mainland side, including Venezia Santa Lucia station, handles rail and industrial traffic distinct from the flood-prone lagoon islands, but still sits under the same storm systems.
RainViewer Radar Coverage in Venice
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. Around Venice, the same feed extends across the lagoon to Mestre and Porto Marghera, and along the Adriatic coast toward Padua and Treviso.
Venice Rain Radar: Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it raining in Venice right now?
Check RainViewer's hyperlocal radar map for live rain over Venice, refreshed every 5 minutes from Protezione Civile and ARPA Veneto data. During scirocco events, rain often arrives alongside a rising tide rather than on its own.
- Can I plan a day trip to Murano or Burano today?
Use the 2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices to check whether rain will affect your vaporetto crossing. Spring and autumn systems can build quickly over the lagoon.
- Will rain affect my walk to St. Mark's Square?
Live radar shows storm cells approaching St. Mark's Square before they arrive, useful alongside acqua alta tide forecasts since the square floods first when the two combine.
- Does Venice flood?
Yes — acqua alta regularly floods the historic center when tide, surge, and rain combine above roughly 80-90 cm over mean, with the 12 November 2019 event reaching 187-189 cm and damaging around 90% of the city.
- When is the best time to visit Venice for lower flood risk?
Summer (Jun-Aug) carries the lowest acqua alta risk, since it is both the driest season and outside the autumn tidal peak that runs October-November.
- Why does rain in Venice come with rising water?
The scirocco wind that brings rain from the southeast also pushes Adriatic seawater into the lagoon at the same time, coupling rainfall with tidal surge in a way inland Italian cities never experience.
- How current is RainViewer's radar for Venice?
Data refreshes every 5 minutes from the Protezione Civile national network and ARPA Veneto's regional radar, showing the rain component of an acqua alta event as it develops.
- Can I get alerts before rain reaches me in Venice?
Yes — set a rain alert for a specific point, such as St. Mark's Square or Marco Polo Airport, and RainViewer notifies you before the storm cell arrives based on its tracked direction.
Track Rain in Venice in Real Time
Venice's vaporetto network and St. Mark's Square both depend on knowing exactly when rain and rising tide will combine, and a daily forecast cannot give you that timing. Because scirocco-driven storms couple rainfall with sea-level surge, a static forecast cannot show you what a live radar map can.
RainViewer gives you a 2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices, rain alerts before a storm reaches St. Mark's Square or Marco Polo Airport, direction arrows tracking the scirocco in from the SE, 48 hours of radar history to see how an acqua alta event like November 2019 developed, and the ability to track multiple locations at once — the historic center, Mestre, and Porto Marghera together.
A forecast tells you rain is possible in Venice today. Live hyperlocal radar shows you the scirocco already pushing rain and tide toward St. Mark's Square.
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