Climate in Albania

Albania has a mild, Mediterranean climate. Many visitors will find that it never gets cold in the lowlands. The Ionian Cost, in particular, is very clement; with aver age winter temperatures of 8-10 °C (46-50F). In Tirana and in other inland cities on the plains, temperature sometimes drops below freezing, but this is usually only at night, and it is rare for ice or snow to last more than a day. The country enjoys a good deal of sunny weather, with an average of around 300 sunny days each year. Most of Albania's annual rainfall occurs between late autumn and early spring; outside of the mountainous areas, it is unusual for it to rain in summer. In the summer, visitors often find the inland towns to be quite hot, with July usually being the warmest month. In Tirana, for example, temperatures occasionally reach 40 °C (104F). Many hotels and restaurants have air conditioning. The best places to be in midsummer are on the coast, where sea breezes keep the average temperatures down to a more tolerable 25-30 °C (73-86F), or in the high mountains. If you have the luxury of choice, the best times of year to come for sightseeing are spring and fall. In autumn the orchards blaze with the bright orange of the persimmons and the cooler colors of the citrus fruits, while in spring the apple and cherry blossoms cover the roadsides with their pastel-toned blossoms. The long spring evenings are a good time to enjoy the terrace and sidewalk cafes which are ubiquitous throughout the country, while in September and October it is still warm enough to swim on the southern coast.