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Climate in Greece
As we know, Greece is a Mediterranean country. Greece, in general, has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. The climate is not the same in all parts of our country. An area near the sea, has a mild winter than another located away from the sea. Areas at high altitude (mountainous) areas have a cooler climate (low temperatures) than low-altitude areas (lowland areas).
Greece has a complicated landscape. Large mountain ranges, plateaus, plains, rivers and other geomorphological elements shape special local conditions that affect the climate of the area. A typical example is the mountain range of Pindos, which crosses Greece from northwest to southeast, dividing it in western and eastern Greece.
The wet winds, coming from the Ionian Sea carrying large amounts of water vapor, hit Pindos, climb high, cool, and water vapor turns to rain. That’s why in Western Greece we have many rains, unlike the East, where the winds arrive with a little water vapor giving less rain. From Pindos also cold northeast winds are prevented from going to the west and that is why Western Greece has milder winters.
Categories
Mediterranean (dry and wet)
This climate occurs in the Aegean islands, especially in the Cyclades and the Dodecanese, in the south and in Evia, low-altitude areas of Attica, in the western, eastern and southern lowlands of the Peloponnese and low-altitude areas of Crete. During the summer, the weather is sunnier and dry, and every rainfall falls in the form of a hoarfrost or a storm of buoys. The air is usually warm during the day and pleasantly warm in the evening, but there are some very cloudy days, especially on the islands of the Cyclades and around them. Heat waves may occur but are usually mild in coastal areas where temperatures are held back by the relatively cooler sea and sea breeze. The winters are wet and any falling snow does not last long, especially on the slopes facing south. Rain in this climate zone receives a relatively higher amount of rainfall.
Alpine Mediterranean
In this climate, the winter is heavy with abundant snowfall, while the summers are cool with frequent storms. This climate is located in the high mountains, as in Pindos and Rodopi.
Transitional Continental – Mediterranean
This climate is characterized by both a continental and a Mediterranean climate.
Semi-anhydrous climate (hot and cold)
This climate is located in regions of Macedonia and Thessaly (cold semi-anhydrous) while areas of Attica such as the Athenian Riviera and some islands mainly in the Cyclades have a warm semi-anhydrous climate.
Temperature
The temperature of 48.0 ° C recorded by thermometers at Tahoe and Eleusina. Average annual temperatures in Greece range from +10.0 to +20.7 ° C. However, since Greece is generally a mountainous country, the actual average temperatures vary considerably from region to region.
Local winds
Meltemia
Probably the best-known local winds in Greece are the meltemia, which are also known as News or Years. With their name symbolizing their annual variation, these winds can hit from May to October, with the highest frequency being recorded in July and August. They keep temperatures and daily temperature fluctuations in the Aegean lower than those in the Ionian or Mainland Greece.