Dolomites Climate is an important aspect in the Dolomites area. Due to their position in the Italian Alps, the Dolomites take advantage from the protection offered right from the Alps themselves from raids by very cold air, coming from northern Europe and Russia. Their position, facing the Po Valley and the Adriatic Sea, prevents the Dolomites to take extreme cold climatic conditions at intermediate altitudes because the cooler air masses tend to be stationed in the northern Alps and only a fraction can penetrate the Italian side. Their high latitude and average altitude keep the temperatures on lower levels respect the rest of the peninsula. This is one of the main features of Dolomites Climate.
The Climate is characteristic during the winter. Dolomites valleys are characterized by long, harsh winters, during which night temperatures consistently fall, far below 0°C, and which minimum values - because of temperature inversion - can reach often -20°C even at altitudes below 1.000 meters.
Some sites located on large, flat valley floor, as Dobbiaco in the province of Bolzano, Canazei in the province of Trento and Cimacanale in the province of Belluno, in special circumstances may exceed -25°C and during high cold waves you can reach -30°C. Average temperatures during the winter months are consistently below 0° C.
The coldest month is usually January, followed in order by December and February. Winter weather is cold in the countries of the Dolomites. It is also quite dry, and thanks to the low ventilation for more steady breeze, it is well tolerated with making use of appropriate clothing.
The situation is very different in top positions, where the higher speed of the wind can also make unbearable temperatures a few degrees below zero (for the phenomenon of wind chill) The temperatures are strongly influenced by various factors such as altitude, topography and exposure: the highest places on equal conditions are colder than lower, the town placed on valley plan usually are more cold than those implemented on the valley slope or inclined; sites on south facing slopes are less cold than those exposed to the north, and in general the points always sunny winters are less stringent than that for many weeks remain in the shade the mountains all day or only see one or two hours of sunshine.
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During the winter things changes and the Weather Dolomites is characteristic in thise season of the year. Cold and dry winters weather with little precipitation formed by snow and rainfall on annual average decrease with increasing latitude and distance from the sea.