Climate
Crete has a warm Mediterranean climate. Summers in the lowlands are hot and dry with clear skies. Dry hot days are often relieved by seasonal breezes. The mountain areas are much cooler, with considerable rain in the winter. Winters are mild in the lowlands with rare frost and snow. Because Heraklion is further south than Athens, it has a milder climate.
| Climate data for Heraklion | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 15.2 (59.4) |
15.5 (59.9) |
16.8 (62.2) |
20.2 (68.4) |
23.5 (74.3) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.6 (83.5) |
28.4 (83.1) |
26.4 (79.5) |
23.1 (73.6) |
20.1 (68.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
21.9 (71.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
12.3 (54.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.2 (66.6) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.2 (77.4) |
25.1 (77.2) |
22.9 (73.2) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.8 (62.2) |
14.0 (57.2) |
18.4 (65.1) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.9 (58.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
21.7 (71.1) |
21.7 (71.1) |
19.3 (66.7) |
16.5 (61.7) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
14.8 (58.6) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 91.5 (3.602) |
77.4 (3.047) |
57.4 (2.26) |
30.0 (1.181) |
15.2 (0.598) |
3.2 (0.126) |
1.0 (0.039) |
0.7 (0.028) |
19.5 (0.768) |
68.8 (2.709) |
58.8 (2.315) |
77.1 (3.035) |
500.6 (19.709) |
| Avg. precipitation days | 10.1 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 4.9 | 6.0 | 8.9 | 53.2 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 117.8 | 124.7 | 176.7 | 228.0 | 300.7 | 351.0 | 372.0 | 347.2 | 282.0 | 198.4 | 150.0 | 120.9 | 2,769.4 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory | |||||||||||||
Read more about this topic: Heraklion
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