Jacopo Werther · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Active stratovolcano on the east coast of Sicily, Italy
Mount Etna is a volcano in Italy. Its summit stands 3,357 m above sea level.
From the lowest point within 5 km (1,620 m), it rises 1,737 m. The steepest side is the east face: 22° on average over the first kilometre. In places the ground near the top reaches 39° — terrain for climbers, not walkers.
The nearest town is Zafferana Etnea, 13 km away at 574 m: 2,783 m below the summit.
Scores
Two scores out of 10, built only from open data — every part is shown. They describe what the mountain offers, not how safe it is.
Hiking & mountaineering
9.2/10
Difficulty to the top
Mountain walk
Most path sections around the top are T3 on the SAC hiking scale.
Indicative only — never a safety assessment. Conditions change: ask local guides and check the forecast.
Ski score
6.0/10
Runs by difficulty
Snow season on the slopes (estimate)
Around 2,268 m, in the middle of the ski area: snow from December to April (some years from December to May).
9 lifts · lift stations from 1,928 to 2,608 m · 0 km cross-country
Ski (where OpenStreetMap has skiing within 12 km): up to 4 points for the length of downhill runs (300 km or more = 4), 1.5 for the number of lifts (40+), 1.5 for the vertical between lift stations (1,500 m) and 3 for the snow season — a month counts when the estimated mean temperature at the height of the ski area is −1 °C or lower and snow falls or lies there (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Hiking & mountaineering: up to 2.5 for waymarked routes and paths, 1.5 for huts, 2 for the ascent from the valley (2,000 m), 1.5 for prominence (3,000 m), 1.5 for the season (months with summit afternoons above −5 °C) and 1 for via ferratas, climbing and glaciers. OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: where few things are mapped, a score can be lower than reality.
Plan your visit
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Snow
At the summit, snow from October to June (some years from October to July). Month by month below, at different heights on the way up.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Summit3,357 msnow from October to June (some years from October to July) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow some of the time | No snow | No snow | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month |
Halfway up1,966 msnow from January to March (some years from December to March) | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | Snow on the ground all month | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | Snow some of the time |
Zafferana Etnea574 mno snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow | No snow |
Estimate for a normal year: average temperature and precipitation from NASA POWER, carried to each height, in a simple model of snow building up and melting. In a given year snow can come earlier or stay longer. It does not replace the local snow and avalanche bulletin.
Summit weather
Not a forecast: long-term averages (1991–2020), carried up to the summit. The orange line is where an average afternoon reaches 0 °C; above the dashed blue line it freezes even at dawn.
On an average August afternoon the summit reaches about 11 °C; on February nights it falls to about -13 °C. In 6 months of the year it stays below freezing at the top even in the afternoon. In August the 0 °C line climbs to about 5,090 m, above the summit: the top thaws on an average afternoon. Across the region, July is the driest month (10 mm) and November the wettest (89 mm).
| Month | Summit high °C | Summit low °C | Zafferana Etnea high °C | 0 °C line (m) | Rain & snow (mm) | Wet days | Sun h/day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | -8 | -12 | 11 | 2,200 | 76 | 13 | 4.1 |
| February | -7 | -13 | 11 | 2,230 | 68 | 12 | 5.0 |
| March | -5 | -11 | 13 | 2,630 | 60 | 11 | 6.7 |
| April | -2 | -9 | 16 | 3,090 | 44 | 9 | 8.2 |
| May | 3 | -5 | 21 | 3,750 | 21 | 5 | 10.0 |
| June | 8 | -1 | 26 | 4,550 | 19 | 4 | 11.5 |
| July | 11 | 2 | 29 | 5,080 | 10 | 2 | 12.1 |
| August | 11 | 2 | 29 | 5,090 | 16 | 4 | 10.9 |
| September | 7 | 0 | 25 | 4,380 | 60 | 10 | 8.1 |
| October | 3 | -4 | 21 | 3,780 | 76 | 11 | 6.4 |
| November | -2 | -7 | 16 | 3,050 | 89 | 14 | 4.6 |
| December | -6 | -11 | 12 | 2,410 | 88 | 15 | 3.8 |
Estimate: the NASA POWER climate of a ~55 km cell (average height 461 m), adjusted to the summit by −6.5 °C per 1,000 m. Rain, wet days and sunshine are those of the region. Mountain weather changes fast — always check a local forecast. ★ = mildest months at the top.
Relief
Two cuts through the summit, 16 km long, from the 30 m Copernicus elevation model. True scale: no vertical exaggeration.
Average slope of the first kilometre from the summit. The orange petal is the steepest side.
Around the mountain
Counted around the summit in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. The satellite plate shows 14 × 14 km.
N
5 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
A lift reaches Montagnola at 2,608 m — just 749 m below the summit.
Bivacco Ferro di Cavallo, Bivacco Area Attrezzata Forestale Nave (1,450 m), Rifugio Case Nave (1,450 m), Rifugio Ariel (1,690 m) and 31 more
Funivia Rifugio Sapienza - Montagnola, Seggiovia Monti Silvestri - Capannina, Pouchoz-Tanaurpi
Etna Nord, Etna Sud/Nicolosi
Pista Altomontana, Pista ai Crateri Sommitali, Canalone della Montagnola, Sciammoru del Lupo and 38 more
Salto del Cane, Acquarocca (6a<6c)
Monte Fontane, Monte Zoccolaro, Monte Vetore, Valle del Bove and 29 more
Villa Hirschen, Airone Wellness Hotel, La Ginestra dell'Etna, Le Cisterne Turismo Rurale and 23 more
80 path sections within 5 km, by SAC hiking scale (T1 easy walk … T6 difficult alpine).
OpenStreetMap is built by volunteers: a low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. Places © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Photos
Recent years
Afternoon high at the summit (estimate). The first row is the reference, the 1991–2020 average in °C; the years show only the difference.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991–2020 average | -8 | -7 | -5 | -2 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 7 | 3 | -2 | -6 |
| 2020 | +0.5 | +2.3 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +1.8 | −0.8 | −0.1 | +1.2 | +0.7 | −0.9 | +0.4 | +0.7 |
| 2021 | +1.0 | +2.1 | −0.9 | −0.8 | +0.8 | +2.2 | +1.6 | +2.9 | +1.8 | −1.7 | +0.4 | −0.4 |
| 2022 | −0.3 | +1.1 | −2.0 | −0.1 | +1.8 | +3.8 | +2.0 | ±0.0 | +2.9 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +3.7 |
| 2023 | +0.9 | +0.6 | +1.1 | −0.1 | −1.2 | −0.9 | +3.8 | ±0.0 | +2.0 | +4.1 | +2.5 | +1.7 |
| 2024 | +1.8 | +2.7 | +2.3 | +2.1 | +2.4 | +3.0 | +2.4 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +2.2 | +1.1 | +0.5 |
| 2025 | +2.7 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +0.5 | +0.9 | +2.1 | +1.8 | −0.1 | +1.9 | −1.1 | −0.4 | +0.9 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
| Names, elevation, prominence | Wikidata (Q16990) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Relief, 3D view, profiles | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 · CC BY 4.0 |
| Around the mountain | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
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