How to read Etna's weather like a guide
Mount Etna rises from the sea to about 3,400 m, and those three and a half vertical kilometres are what make its weather so different from the rest of Sicily. As a rule of thumb, temperature drops roughly 6 °C for every 1,000 m of altitude: a warm morning on the coast can be near freezing at the summit craters, before you even add the wind.
Before every tour, these are the three things we actually look at:
- Wind at altitude — the real decision-maker. Strong wind at the summit makes the highest routes unpleasant or unsafe even on a sunny day.
- Cloud base — clouds often sit in a band at mid-altitude. Above them you can find clear sky; inside them, visibility drops to a few metres.
- Snow and precipitation — the summit area holds snow roughly from late autumn to spring, which changes equipment and route choice more than it cancels tours.
The two sides of the volcano behave differently too: it can be windy and cloudy on one slope and calm on the other. That is why a forecast for "Etna" is a starting point, not the full answer — the route is chosen on the day, based on where the mountain is kindest.
Want to see the current conditions with your own eyes? Our live webcam looks at the summit around the clock — we check it ourselves every morning.
Live wind map
The interactive map below (Windy.com) shows wind, clouds and precipitation over Etna and eastern Sicily. Switch layers with the menu to see what is moving towards the volcano.