Greece has a Mediterranean climate with plenty of sunshine, mild temperatures and a limited amount of rainfall. Due to the country's geographical position, its rugged relief and its distribution between the mainland and the sea, there is great variation in Greece's climate.
In summer, the dry hot days are cooled by seasonal winds called the meltemi, while mountainous regions have generally lower temperatures.
The winters are mild in lowland areas, with a minimum amount of snow and ice, yet, mountains are usually snow-covered. Moreover, a common phenomenon is the occurrence of different climactic conditions during the same season (for instance, mild heat in coastal areas and cool temperatures in mountainous regions).
Greece's main meteorological data are given below (Source: National Meteorological Service): |
Temperature
Average temperatures (°C)
| |
Athens |
Corfu |
Heraklion |
Rhodes |
Santorini |
Thessaloniki |
| JAN |
10,3 |
9,7 |
12,1 |
11,8 |
11,2 |
5,0 |
| FEB |
10,7 |
10,3 |
12,3 |
12,0 |
11,2 |
6,6 |
| MAR |
12,4 |
12,0 |
13,6 |
13,6 |
12,6 |
9,7 |
| APR |
16,0 |
15,0 |
16,6 |
16,6 |
15,5 |
14,2 |
| ΜΑY |
20,7 |
19,6 |
20,3 |
20,6 |
19,1 |
19,4 |
| JUN |
25,1 |
23,8 |
24,3 |
24,7 |
23,3 |
24,2 |
| JUL |
27,9 |
26,4 |
26,1 |
26,9 |
25,4 |
26,5 |
| AUG |
27,7 |
26,2 |
26,0 |
27,0 |
24,8 |
25,9 |
| SEP |
24,2 |
22,7 |
23,4 |
24,6 |
22,5 |
21,7 |
| OCT |
19,4 |
18,4 |
20,0 |
20,6 |
19,0 |
16,1 |
| NOV |
15,5 |
14,3 |
16,7 |
16,5 |
15,4 |
11,0 |
| DEC |
12,2 |
11,2 |
13,9 |
13,4 |
12,7 |
6,8 |
|
Rainfall-Humidity
Relative humidity (%)
| |
Athens |
Corfu |
Heraklion |
Rhodes |
Santorini |
Thessaloniki |
| JAN |
68,9 |
74,8 |
68,0 |
70,6 |
71,6 |
75,8 |
| FEB |
68,3 |
74,1 |
66,2 |
69,8 |
70,9 |
73,0 |
| MAR |
68,3 |
73,0 |
66,1 |
69,0 |
72,3 |
72,9 |
| APR |
62,8 |
72,3 |
62,0 |
66,3 |
69,8 |
68,5 |
| MAY |
59,5 |
69,1 |
61,0 |
63,6 |
67,6 |
64,3 |
| JUN |
53,4 |
63,0 |
56,6 |
57,6 |
62,5 |
56,3 |
| JUL |
47,6 |
59,1 |
56,7 |
56,4 |
59,9 |
53,6 |
| AUG |
47,3 |
61,3 |
58,1 |
58,9 |
62,0 |
55,4 |
| SEP |
53,7 |
69,7 |
61,5 |
60,8 |
65,9 |
62,5 |
| OCT |
61,9 |
74,3 |
65,7 |
67,0 |
70,1 |
70,4 |
| NOV |
68,9 |
77,3 |
67,6 |
72,0 |
72,1 |
77,3 |
| DEC |
70,1 |
76,7 |
67,8 |
72,7 |
72,0 |
77,8 |
|
Sunshine
Average daily sunshine (in hours)
| |
Athens |
Heraklion |
Rhodes |
Thessaloniki |
| JAN |
4.12' |
3.48' |
4.24' |
3.06' |
| FEB |
4.48' |
4.18' |
5.12' |
3.30' |
| MAR |
5.54' |
5.42' |
6.36' |
4.48' |
| APR |
7.42' |
7.36' |
8.00' |
6.48' |
| MAY |
9.24' |
9.42' |
10.00' |
8.06' |
| JUN |
11.12' |
11.42' |
11.42' |
9.54' |
| JUL |
11.42' |
12.00' |
12.06' |
10.30' |
| AUG |
11.00' |
11.12' |
11.30' |
9.30' |
| SEP |
9.12' |
9.24' |
10.06' |
7.42' |
| OCT |
6.42' |
6.24' |
7.48' |
5.18' |
| NOV |
5.06' |
5.00' |
5.54' |
3.54' |
| DEC |
3.54' |
3.54' |
4.30' |
3.18' |
|
| |
