Dolomites Weather and Best Month to Climb

I'm trying to figure out the best time, weather wise, for climbing in the Dolomites.  I was thinking late August into September would be most ideal with decreased chance of thunderstorms, but cooler weather.  

But a climbing guide suggested July for the best weather windows and less tourists.

Edit-  I did forget to add that the guide mentioned that him and other guys have experienced more Rockfall later in the season the last several years as a result of climate change. And that two guys died last year from rock fall.  I wonder if this is a real concern in general in the dolomites or at certain crags or on certain routes?

From reading trip reports, it always seems like afternoon thunderstorms shuts down climbing days routinely in summer.

What say you?

"To characterize how pleasant the weather is in Cortina d'Ampezzo throughout the year, we compute two travel scores.   The tourism score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 65°F and 80°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo for general outdoor tourist activities is from early July to mid August, with a peak score in the first week of August."

"The beach/pool score favors clear, rainless days with perceived temperatures between 75°F and 90°F. Based on this score, the best time of year to visit Cortina d'Ampezzo  for hot-weather activities is from mid July to early August, with a peak score in the last week of July."

Average Weather in Cortina

This is the best weather summary I've found.  There is quite a bit of data analysis.  Warm weather there seems to generally come with high probability of rain.  According to the monthly rainfall chart the overall probability in September is only slightly lower.

I would avoid August as all of Italy and most of Europe is on vacation for the month. September has always been good for me. Quiet and stable weather with no thunderstorms but a small risk of snow high up later in the month

Been there in August and the weather was good besides a couple rouge lightning storms.  The entire area was packed with trekkers and climbers though.  Parking was difficult at times.

FWIW I spent a week there in late September (many years ago) and the weather was perfect, although it would dip below freezing at night. Very pleasant climbing weather during the day, and no crowds at all.

Was just there for 5 days (mid October). Even though we got some rain, it was still amazing temperatures and almost nobody else climbing (we were on S facing classics the whole time). I'd definitely go again in September or October. Conversely, I have been there in June and it rained every day for 8 days straight.

 Thanks for the responses.

I did forget to add that the guide said that him and other guides have experienced more rock fall later in the season then what they have been used to because of climate change. And that a couple guides died last season because of rock fall. 

I wonder if that's a real risk in general in the dolomites or maybe on certain routes or crags?

I climbed in the Dolomites in early September seven years ago for over two weeks and only had one and a half days of rain.  However, you also need to check when the huts close if considering going there much later than the first two weeks of September and considering staying in mountain huts.  Some of the chairlifts also close around this time to hikers and climbers, making some approaches longer.  As others have suggested, I would avoid August due to the crowds.

Just spent most of last month there and the weather and climbing were great.  We had slightly warmer than normal temps and mostly nice stable weather.  We did seek out sun exposed routes as the north faces were likely cold already.  One thing to consider about September is that days start getting noticeably shorter, a factor for some longer routes.  Cortina was also pretty quiet and peaceful with the exception of weekends when traffic seemed to pick up a bit.  

Mid-August of this year was fantastic. No rain the whole week we were climbing. Temperatures were fine. The towns and touristy areas (Tre Cima) were crowded, but the crags were not.