page_title: Tirana
section_title: Climate
hierarchical_section_title: Tirana / Geography / Climate
caption_attribution_description: Shqip: Mali i Dajtit, Tirane, Kruje This is a photo of a natural heritage site in Albania, id: 12
context_page_description: Tirana is the capital and largest city by area and population of the Republic of Albania. It is located in the center of Albania enclosed by mountains and hills with Mount Dajt elevating on the east and a slight valley on the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea in the distance. Due to its location at the Plain of Tirana and the close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, the city is particularly influenced by a Mediterranean seasonal climate. It is among the wettest and sunniest cities in Europe, with 2,544 hours of sun per year.
  Tirana flourished as a city in 1614 but the region that today corresponds to the city's territory has been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age. The area was inhabited by Illyrians, and was most likely the core of the Illyrian Kingdom of the Taulantii, which in Classical Antiquity was centered in the hinterland of Epidamnus. Following the Illyrian Wars it was annexed by Rome and became an integral part of the Roman Empire. The heritage of that period is still evident and represented by the Mosaics of Tirana. Later, in the 5th and 6th centuries, a Early Christian basilica was built around this site.
context_section_description: The city is defined by the Köppen climate classification as Cfa, in other words the city has a humid subtropical climate and receives a commensurably amount of precipitation, during summer, to avoid the mediterranean climate (Csa) classification, since every summer month receives more than 40 millimetres (1.6 in) of rainfall, with hot and moderately dry summers and cool and wet winters. It lies on the boundary between Zone 7 and Zone 9 in terms of the hardiness zone.
  The average precipitation is about 1,266 millimetres (49.8 inches) per year. The city receives the majority of precipitation in winter months, which occurs from November to March, and less in summer months from June to September. In terms of precipitation, both rain and snow, the city is ranked among the wettest cities in the European Continent.
  Temperatures vary throughout the year from an average of 6.7 °C (44.1 °F) in January to 24 °C (75 °F) in July. Springs and summers are very warm to hot often reaching over 20 °C (68 °F) from May to September. During autumn and winter, from November to March, the average temperature drops and is not lower than 6.7 °C (44.1 °F). The city receives approximately 2500 hours of sun. 
  For rainy and snowy days the monthly values are not available, only annual.
caption: Snow at Dajti National Park. It generally melts quickly in the region.[10]
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