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Italy's climate is highly diversfied by both its length and topography. It has a semitropical coast near the Ligurian Sea, and more frigid conditions moving into the higher elevations of the Alps and Apennines. The average annual temperature ranges from 52° to 66°F (11° to 19°C); in the Po Valley 55°F (15°C), in Sicily 64°F (18°C), and about 58°F (14.5°C) in the coastal lowlands. Winters are mild and sunny in the lowlands regions and the western coast from northern Tuscany to the vicinity of Rome.
Temperatures in the same latitudes on the east of the peninsula are much lower, mainly because of the prevailing northeastern winds. The climate of the peninsular lowlands (below the latitude of Rome) closely resembles that of southern Spain. Whereas the climate of the Plain of Lombardy is continental. Warm summers and severe winters, with temperatures as low as 5°F (-15°C), prevail in this region, which is shielded from sea breezes by the Apennines. Heaviest precipitation occurs in Italy during the fall and winter months.
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