Coming to Greece in
summer, you can be certain that the weather will be good. Throughout the summer, from early June to early September, temperatures hover around 30° C (85° Fahrenheit). Especially between late June and mid of August, heatwaves lasting several days may occur, reaching about 35° C (95° Fahrenheit) or occasionally 40° C (105 ° Fahrenheit). From mid-May to mid-September it usually doesn’t rain, dew is rare, and in the nights the temperature cools down only slightly. The sky is mostly cloudless, and it’s almost constantly windy: the summertime
meltemi (northern winds) typically blow with about 5 to 7 Beaufort. Water temperatures lie around 20° C (68° Fahrenheit) in June and 24-25° C (75° Fahrenheit) in July and August.
In
May and
September (often also in October and even November), the weather is particularly pleasant: it’s generally warm (around 20-25° C) and sunny. Even in these months, rain is rare. However, the weather isn’t as stable as in summer, occasionally becoming cooler or cloudy. There are often longer periods without wind, but it may also get stormy. While the sea is rather cool in May with temperatures of about 18° C, it maintains summer temperatures in September at 25° C and usually is still warm enough for swimming in October and even November.
In the remaining months from
October to April, the weather is typically “spring-like” and mild, with temperatures usually around 10-20° C. Near the sea, minimum temperatures lie about 4° C, occasionally dropping to 0° C. During all winter months, the thermometer can climb above 20° C. Even in winter, the sun often shines with few clouds; prolonged heavy cloud cover is rare. Rain falls only rarely, and extended dry periods are possible even in winter. In most years it snows once or twice in the mountains. Cold air influxes occur most frequently from January to March, but even in these months, the weather can be very nice for long stretches. Periods of bad weather usually last only a few days, but the rainfalls can be intense or accompanied by thunderstorms. In winter as in summer the wind mostly blows from northern directions, but warmer southern winds occur regularly, as well as lovely and pleasant calm days. Water temperatures drop from 22° C in October to 14° C in December and January, gradually rising again in spring.
It’s important to note that with
stormy weather the ferries may not operate for one or two days (the harbours close with 9 Beaufort, while smaller ferries may stop operating at 7 or 8 Beaufort). The calmest months usually are April, May, and June.
