Italian Dolomites
in Summer

Temperatures

July and August are the hottest months, with an average minimum temperature around +7 °C and a maximum around +15 °C at 2,000 metres. Spring and Autumn show a wide range of temperatures. Spring is cooler than Autumn. March can record average minimum temperatures around -6°C at 2,000 metres, May records around 0°C and 1°C. September shows average minimums around 5°C and maximums around 12°C. In November these decrease to -3.5°C and 2°C.

Rainfall

With a rainfall average of 420 millimetres during the three summer months (and a 1050 mm annual average), summer is definitely the rainiest season. The average count of summer rainy days is 41, which makes it about 50%. In Spring this is 31, in Autumn 21. This doesn’t mean we’ll spend half the days indoors. Summer’s rainfall is generally caused by thunderstorms, thanks to a mountain terrain configuration very favourable to generating these phenomena also thanks to cold Atlantic northerly air masses coming through. Thunderstorms generally happen during in the afternoon and evening due to the daily heating.  

Weather changes

Due to their very geographic location, between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, the Dolomites are dominated by 2 opposite weather systems: if northerly winds come through, temperatures can fall dramatically, if these clash with hot air then violent thunderstorms can develop and it isn’t that rare to see small amounts of snowfall above 2,000 metres even in August. Conversely, if southerly winds take over, temperatures can easily climb above the averages mentioned previously. The African anticyclonic system can get temperatures up to 30°C in the valley bottoms. Rainfall also varies according to these forces, indeed even in summer we can have long stretches without any rainfall, when the subtropical anticyclone can stop the convective air flux generating thunderstorms. On the other side, sometimes we can have more than 500 mm rainfall in a single summer o autumn month. Generally, rainfall occurs when North Atlantic systems move in and these generally follow a north-west/south-east pattern. This is why we can often escape bad weather moving just one valley to the north. The rainiest areas are indeed Pale di San Martino, Lagorai, Marmolada, Civetta and Agner, the driest are Sesto Dolomites, val Badia and Sella group.

Other factors are exposure and latitude. Northern mountain sides are colder than southern ones. In the valley bottoms thermal excursion can be even wider than up high, where instead wind and its wind-chilling effect can cause trouble.

When to go

Mountain huts in the Dolomites in summer generally open around the 20th June and close around 20th September. Many could open earlier and close later (especially at weekends), depending on weather conditions.

July and August are definitely the hottest months but also the busiest. Particularly avoid the 2nd and 3rd week of August if you can: higher prices and the crowds could make for a slightly less pleasant holiday.

June and September are 2 the less crowded months. Depending on what you’d prefer doing, you could choose one or the other.

June is the greenest month: the countless meadows look like emerald whilst up high snow accumulation can still be considerable. For these reasons, this is the best month for cycling and hiking.

Climbing or tackling via Ferratas have to be planned with care, as the shadiest sides could still have significant snow accumulation.

Sunsets are fantastic in September and October. And, often, the weather is even more stable than in the summer. Early mornings can be chilly: autumn is on our doorstep! In the central hours the sun warms up the air and our skin. Via Ferratas or long-distance treks (such as “high routes”) are definitely recommended at this time: snow is not a problem anymore and the lower temperatures allow us not to worry about fatigue or dehydration even in the central hours of the day. If you are here to climb, then look for south-facing cliffs: we can often climb in short sleeves even in October.

Chairlifts and Cable cars:

These generally open from mid-June to mid-September, however dates can vary quite a bit depending on the specific installation. We recommend checking the dates for each specific area you are interested in.

Accomodation

The Dolomites started gathering visitors more than 100 years ago. This allowed for a long, consolidated tradition around hospitality and accommodation. Generally speaking, you won’t find many large tourist establishments but rather small hotels, apartments for rent or rural tourism well integrated in the villages they are located in. We must note that accommodation standards here are very high. You can safely book a 1-star hotel and not fear about cleanliness, hygiene and the way the will look after you. Often, accommodation is recently refurbished and modern. There are clearly differences between the valleys. The one with the most modern services are Val Badia, Val Gardena, Val Pusteria and Val di Fassa.
The campings are not that common in the Dolomites, however there is a good spread between Colfosco, Canazei, Malga Ciapela, San Cassiano, Cortina d’Ampezzo, Alleghe and the Alpe di Siusi.

Many of the best activities may or must include a mountain hut overnight. Check out the dedicated page for more information.