Albania weather, while mainly Mediterranean, is characterised by a variety of patterns, a factor attributed to the country’s unique geographical position. As a matter of fact, for such a small country in size, Albania has a inappropriately large number of climatic regions.

Thanks to the influence of the Adriatic and Ionian seas that face the country’s coastlines, Albania enjoys a typically Mediterranean weather in the west, while in the east where the elevated Balkan landmass backs the country’s highlands Albania weather is considered to be moderately continental.  However, as a general thump rule the above is applicable only to a certain extent, since there are obvious variations to Albania weather in both the interior and the lowlands as well as from south to north.

The lowlands

Summer in the Albanian lowlands is known to be of a harsh and uncomfortable nature, with temperatures averaging 24° C and humidity ranking rather high. Again there are vast differences between the northern and southern lowlands, with temperatures in the latter averaging five degrees higher than the former during the summer season and slightly less during the months of winter. Winters in the lowlands are considerably milder, with temperatures averaging about 7° C.

The lowlands receive an average of rainfall between the 1,000 millimetres to more than 1,500 millimetres marks annually, with the northern parts of the area registering the higher averages. The lowlands are also a winter rain fall area, as 95 percent of the rain falls during the months of winter.

Inland Albania

In the Albanian inland it’s elevation rather than latitude that has the most profound effect on weather patterns. Because of the influence of the continental air mass that dominates the weather in Eastern Europe and the Balkans, winter temperatures in this part of Albania remain low. At the same time the continental air mass along with the prevailing airflow from the Mediterranean are both contributing factors to the heavy average precipitation the area enjoys. By far the heaviest rainfall occurs in the central uplands, while thunderstorms make frequent appearances through out the inland area, some of them even accompanied by high local winds and torrential rain. It should come as no surprise then that the mountain areas of Albania are among the wetter parts of Europe. Needless to say, towns in the mountain areas can get extremely cold with snow usually falling between the months of November and March, while during the stormier conditions of autumn and winter, the rain is heavier and the cold and snow severe.

Albania Weather in Summer and Autumn

Despite the relatively sunny nature of Albania weather during the midsummer season, it’s not uncommon for the fine weather to be interrupted by occasional thunders and downpours. In the coastal areas the hot and humid spells are intercepted and made quite pleasant by the daily sea breezes.

Another factor that has a profound influence on the weather in Albania is the warm humid wind known as the sirocco: when it blows either from the southwest or the south, conditions tend to feel rather oppressive, especially during the autumn season. Apart from the humidity it brings, the sirocco also counteracts as the messenger of wet weather conditions ahead and a return to cooler temperatures.

Accordingly, the summers are considerably cooler and less humid in the mountain areas. As a general rule though, the most settled months in Albania are those of summer and early autumn.

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