Corsica has a Mediterranean climate for the most part, which means hot, dry summers (very little rain and a lot of blue skies from May to October), and mild, humid winters.
The autumn and spring transitions are the rainiest seasons- up to a year worth of rainfall can fall in 24 hours, that’s the price to pay to have minimal rainfall the rest of the time. Floods and minor landslides (which happen when a dried up ground gets too much rainfall at the same time) are fairly common in October/November and March/April.
The rest of the time, you can expect many mild and sunny days in winter (but also some rain), dry heat and strong sun in summer. If you are Scottish or Swedish and you think 25 degrees is hot, avoid July and August, as the day temperatures can reach 35 degrees and there can be heat waves. But the climate is milder than in other Mediterranean places like Greece or Turkey for instance and it is generally very pleasant throughout the year.
However, the typical Mediterranean climate applies only to the seaside and the low altitude zones in Corsica. For the mountainous part of the island, which is most of the inland area, bear in mind that the altitude changes the climate. Sometimes at the end of summer, you can have a raging thunderstorm on the mountain and a gorgeous sunny day at the beach half an hour away. Corsican mountains do receive snowfall in the winter; it is even possible to go skiing. On a good winter day, you can ski in the morning and walk on the beach in the afternoon with just a small jumper. Such is the Corsican climate.
| Hottest months: | July-August. Average high around 28-30°C, possible heat waves. |
| Coldest months: | January-February: Average high around 15°C at sea level. Freezing temperatures and snowfall can occur in altitude. |
| Rainiest season: | October to December and March/April. |
| Driest season: | May to September. |
Climate of Ajaccio (coast, sea level)
Climate of Corte (inland, 400m high)
When to go to Corsica?
If you want guaranteed sunshine on the beach for your holidays, June to August is the tourist season. If you want to go hiking, you should also go in summer to maximize your chances of good hiking conditions. If you are a loner and you don’t like the heat, choose May/June or September/October, when there are less tourists and the weather can still be very pleasant. From October to April, there is practically no one but the locals, so if you want to have the island for yourself, you can come at that time. On good winter days, you can practically go skiing in the morning and have a walk on the beach in the afternoon in mild temperatures. If you come to a Corsican village in the dead of winter, you might have mild sunny days, or you might have to deal with a power outage and a blocked road because of snowfall, but you’ll know what it’s like to be in the heart of a Mediterranean island when tourists are not around.
Leave a Reply