Climate of Greece
Encyclopedia
The climate in Greece is predominantly Mediterranean
. However, due to the country's unique geography
, Greece
has a remarkable range of micro-climates
and local variations. To the west of the Pindus
mountain range, the climate is generally wetter and has some maritime features. The east of the Pindus mountain range is generally drier and windier in summer. The highest peak is Mount Olympus
at 9570 feet (2,916.9 m) tall.
, especially the Cyclades
and the Dodecanese
, southern and parts of central Evia
, low-lying areas of Attica
, the eastern and south Peloponnesus, and the low-lying areas of Crete
. During the summer, the weather
is almost always sunny and dry, and any precipitation falls in the form of showers or thunderstorms from cumuliform clouds. The air is usually hot during the day and pleasantly warm at night. Heatwaves can occur, but they are usually quite mild at the coastal areas, where the Etesian
winds blow throughout the summer. Winters are wet and any snow
that falls does not last too long, especially in the south-facing slopes. Rain in winter is often persistent and can cause flooding.
and Rhodope
. Few meteorological stations are in areas with a truly Alpine Mediterranean climate in Greece and these are not available online.
Τhe 48 °C (118.4 °F) recorded by minimum/maximum thermomethers in Tatoi
and Elefsina as reported by a communication of Dr. Athanasios D. Sarantopoulos is also the WMO record high temperature for Greece and Europe.
Average annual temperature in Greece ranges from 10 to 19.7 °C (50 to 67.5 F). However, since Greece is generally a mountainous country, real average temperatures vary considerably from region to region.
are the etesian
s. With their name notating their annual fluctuation (έτος (étos) means year in Greek
), these wind
s blow roughly from May to October, with their highest frequency being recorded in July and August. They keep temperature
s and diurnal temperature fluctuations in the Aegean sea
lower than the respective ones found in the Ionian sea
or mainland Greece
.
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
. However, due to the country's unique geography
Geography of Greece
Greece is a country located in Southern Europe, on the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula. Greece is surrounded on the north by Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia and Albania; to the west by the Ionian Sea; to the south by the Mediterranean Sea and to the east by the Aegean Sea and Turkey...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
has a remarkable range of micro-climates
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
and local variations. To the west of the Pindus
Pindus
The Pindus mountain range is located in northern Greece and southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2637 m . Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is often called the "spine of Greece"...
mountain range, the climate is generally wetter and has some maritime features. The east of the Pindus mountain range is generally drier and windier in summer. The highest peak is Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, about 100 kilometres away from Thessaloniki, Greece's second largest city. Mount Olympus has 52 peaks. The highest peak Mytikas, meaning "nose", rises to 2,917 metres...
at 9570 feet (2,916.9 m) tall.
Categories
The climate of Greece can be divided into the following mediterranean climate subtypes:Dry Mediterranean
This climate occurs in the Aegean IslandsAegean Islands
The Aegean Islands are the group of islands in the Aegean Sea, with mainland Greece to the west and north and Turkey to the east; the island of Crete delimits the sea to the south, those of Rhodes, Karpathos and Kasos to the southeast...
, especially the Cyclades
Cyclades
The Cyclades is a Greek island group in the Aegean Sea, south-east of the mainland of Greece; and a former administrative prefecture of Greece. They are one of the island groups which constitute the Aegean archipelago. The name refers to the islands around the sacred island of Delos...
and the Dodecanese
Dodecanese
The Dodecanese are a group of 12 larger plus 150 smaller Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, of which 26 are inhabited. Τhis island group generally defines the eastern limit of the Sea of Crete. They belong to the Southern Sporades island group...
, southern and parts of central Evia
Evia
Evia is a Spanish family name.* Edgar de EviaEvia as used in company names:* Evia Oyj, Finnish marketing communication agencyEvia is also an alternate spelling of:* The Greek island Euboea* The town Iŭje in Belarus...
, low-lying areas of Attica
Attica
Attica is a historical region of Greece, containing Athens, the current capital of Greece. The historical region is centered on the Attic peninsula, which projects into the Aegean Sea...
, the eastern and south Peloponnesus, and the low-lying areas of Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
. During the summer, the weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
is almost always sunny and dry, and any precipitation falls in the form of showers or thunderstorms from cumuliform clouds. The air is usually hot during the day and pleasantly warm at night. Heatwaves can occur, but they are usually quite mild at the coastal areas, where the Etesian
Etesian
The etesians ', sometimes found in the Latin form etesiae), meltemi μελτέμι , or meltem are the strong, dry north windsof the Aegean Sea, which blow from about mid-May to mid-September...
winds blow throughout the summer. Winters are wet and any snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
that falls does not last too long, especially in the south-facing slopes. Rain in winter is often persistent and can cause flooding.
Alpine Mediterranean
In this climate, the winter is harsh with abundant snowfalls, while the summers are cool with frequent thunderstorms. This climate is to be found on high mountains, like PindusPindus
The Pindus mountain range is located in northern Greece and southern Albania. It is roughly 160 km long, with a maximum elevation of 2637 m . Because it runs along the border of Thessaly and Epirus, the Pindus range is often called the "spine of Greece"...
and Rhodope
Rhodope
Rhodope may mean:* Queen Rhodope, a figure of Greek mythology* Rhodope Mountains, in Bulgaria and Greece* Rhodope Prefecture, of Greece* Rhodope * 166 Rhodope, an asteroid...
. Few meteorological stations are in areas with a truly Alpine Mediterranean climate in Greece and these are not available online.
Continental Mediterranean
This climate is wetter than the dry mediterranean and has cooler winters and not so hot summers. It occurs in most of Macedonia and Thrace.Temperature
- Abs. minimum temperature: -27.8 °C, PtolemaidaPtolemaidaPtolemaida is a town and a former municipality in Kozani peripheral unit, West Macedonia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Eordaia, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit...
. - Abs. maximum temperature: 48 °C (118.4 °F), Elefsina and TatoiTatoiTatoi, located 5 km north of Athens's suburbs, and 27 km from the Athenian Acropolis was the summer palace and 10,000 acre estate of the former Greek Royal Family, and the site of George II of the Hellenes's birth...
.
Τhe 48 °C (118.4 °F) recorded by minimum/maximum thermomethers in Tatoi
Tatoi
Tatoi, located 5 km north of Athens's suburbs, and 27 km from the Athenian Acropolis was the summer palace and 10,000 acre estate of the former Greek Royal Family, and the site of George II of the Hellenes's birth...
and Elefsina as reported by a communication of Dr. Athanasios D. Sarantopoulos is also the WMO record high temperature for Greece and Europe.
Average annual temperature in Greece ranges from 10 to 19.7 °C (50 to 67.5 F). However, since Greece is generally a mountainous country, real average temperatures vary considerably from region to region.
Etesians
Probably the most well known local winds in GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
are the etesian
Etesian
The etesians ', sometimes found in the Latin form etesiae), meltemi μελτέμι , or meltem are the strong, dry north windsof the Aegean Sea, which blow from about mid-May to mid-September...
s. With their name notating their annual fluctuation (έτος (étos) means year in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
), these wind
Wind
Wind is the flow of gases on a large scale. On Earth, wind consists of the bulk movement of air. In outer space, solar wind is the movement of gases or charged particles from the sun through space, while planetary wind is the outgassing of light chemical elements from a planet's atmosphere into space...
s blow roughly from May to October, with their highest frequency being recorded in July and August. They keep temperature
Temperature
Temperature is a physical property of matter that quantitatively expresses the common notions of hot and cold. Objects of low temperature are cold, while various degrees of higher temperatures are referred to as warm or hot...
s and diurnal temperature fluctuations in the Aegean sea
Aegean Sea
The Aegean Sea[p] is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea located between the southern Balkan and Anatolian peninsulas, i.e., between the mainlands of Greece and Turkey. In the north, it is connected to the Marmara Sea and Black Sea by the Dardanelles and Bosporus...
lower than the respective ones found in the Ionian sea
Ionian Sea
The Ionian Sea , is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Adriatic Sea. It is bounded by southern Italy including Calabria, Sicily and the Salento peninsula to the west, southern Albania to the north, and a large number of Greek islands, including Corfu, Zante, Kephalonia, Ithaka, and...
or mainland Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
.