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CRETE
Climate and Weather

Cities in CRETE

Chersonissos

Popular destinations GREECE

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Climate and Weather

Crete has a Mediterranean climate with dry, hot summers and mild, rainy winters. In the mountains, on the other hand, it can get very cold and snow a lot in winter.

December, January and February are the coldest months with average daily temperatures of 13° to 16° Celsius. In the summer, the average daily temperatures are above 30° Celsius with regular highs of 40° Celsius in the south. As the humidity is low, the heat is bearable. In the mountains, it is a lot cooler in the summer, between 15° and 25°C during the day and it cools down considerably at night.

Most precipitation falls in the west between November and February, especially in the mountains. It can rain for days on end. The eastern part of the island is much drier. On average, the entire island receives between 500 and 700 mm of precipitation. From April to September it hardly rains, about 5 mm. Above 600 metres, snow falls in winter and it is even possible to ski.

Along the northern coast, the "meltémi", a north-easterly wind, brings some cooling. In the south, on the other hand, the "sirocco" can blow in the spring and autumn, a dry and hot southeast wind originating in the Sahara. This wind often brings a lot of dust and sand with it. The temperature can reach 35°C on the south coast in May.

The average seawater temperature rises from 16° in April to 25° in July and August.

climate table:

avg. max.temp.hours sunp/ddays precipitation p/m
january14°C411
february15°C510
march17°C67
april20°C85
may24°C103
june28°C121
july31°C121
august31°C121
september27°C102
october23°C65
november20°C57
december16°C412

Sources

Buma, H. / Reishandboek Kreta
Elmar

Hendriksen, B. / Kreta
Babylon-De Geus

Lubsen-Admiraal, S.M. / Kreta
Kosmos

Strijbos, E. / Kreta
Gottmer/Becht

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated February 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info