Rainfall in Italy was down by between 20% to 40% during the period from September through February, according to the latest update from Italy's Civil Protection Department.
In some parts of the north, the report added, rainfall was down up to 60% below normal levels for the autumn and winter period.
From October through December, the rain shortage throughout Italy varied from between 20% to 80% and this was only partially compensated by precipitation during the last ten days of January and in February, department data showed.
Snow in the Italian mountains last month was said to have been be only a third in area of what it was in February of last year and only half the depth.
Last week, Industry Minister Pierluigi Bersani said that preparations were being made for a potential summer power crisis brought on by excessive high temperatures and a low level of water in rivers which run generators.
When asked if Italy risked power blackouts, the minister said "we will try to avoid them. We are studying a number of measures to compensate for the lack of water both for the generation of electricity and the cooling of power plants".
Earlier in the week an expert warned that there was "no chance" for Italy's biggest river, the Po, to return to normal levels before the summer.
"Even with the best forecasts for rain it will be impossible for the river to make up for its lack of water," observed Stefano Tibaldi of the Emilia Romagna regional environmental agency.
On Monday, the National Research Council reported that this winter has been the hottest in Italy in over 200 years, with average temperatures running 1.79°C higher than the previous hottest winter on record, 1990.
This was backed up by the Rome Meteorological Observatory which said that the average winter temperature of 14.4°C was the highest since it began taking records 225 years ago.
