Climate of Greece

The climate in Greece is predominantly Mediterranean. However, due to the country's complex geography, Greece has a wide range of micro-climates and local variations. The Greek mainland is extremely mountainous, making Greece one of the most mountainous countries in Europe. According to the Köppen climate classification Greece has 11 climates, the most in Europe for its size.
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,. The northern areas of Greece have a transitional climate between the continental, the Mediterranean and the humid subtropical climate while there are marginal mountainous areas with an alpine climate. Semi-arid climates are the second most common in Greece.
Average annual temperatures in Greece range from around in Kaimaktsalan up to in Lindos. The lowest average annual precipitation is recorded in Schoinoussa with 239 mm while the highest is found in Theodoriana with 2,529 mm. The highest temperature ever recorded was in Tatoi and Elefsina while the lowest was in Ptolemaida. Hardiness zones in Greece vary from 11a to 6a.

Mediterranean climate

The climate of Greece can be divided into the following Mediterranean climate subtypes:

"True" Mediterranean

According to the Climate Atlas of Greece which was published by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service the Mediterranean climate is the predominant climate found in Greece. This climate occurs in the North Aegean islands, some of the Cyclades and most of the Dodecanese, Evia, some low-lying areas of Attica, the Ionian Islands and most of the western coast of the country, the eastern and southern low-lying Peloponnese areas, and the low-lying areas of Crete. During the summer, the weather is most frequently 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, but there are some very windy days, especially in the Cyclades islands and around them. Heatwaves may occur, but they are usually quite mild at the coastal areas, where temperatures are moderated by the relatively cooler sea and the sea breeze. Winters are wet and any snow that falls does not last long, especially in the south-facing slopes. Rain in winter is often persistent: The west areas of this climate zone receive a relatively higher amount of precipitation. Warm-summer Mediterranean climate exists in roughly the same areas but in higher elevations, such as mount Parnitha in Attica.

Alpine Mediterranean

In this climate type with much lower temperatures, the winter is harsh with abundant snowfalls, while the summers are cool with occasional thunderstorms. This climate is to be found on high mountains, like in the Pindus and Rhodope mountains, and predominantly the higher elevations of the mountains of Crete.

Transitional continental - Mediterranean

This climate is classified as between humid subtropical and continental with strong characteristics of both the continental and Mediterranean climate.

Semi-arid climate

According to the Climate Atlas of Greece published by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service and the network of the National Observatory of Athens, a hot semi-arid climate is found primarily in Piraeus and much of the Athens Riviera, areas of West Attica and the Gulf of Corinth, most of the Cyclades, some islands of the Argo-Saronic Gulf, some areas of Crete, Gavdos, some islands of the Dodecanese and locally in Chalkidiki and in downtown Thessaloniki.
Cold semi-arid climate is found in many areas of Macedonia and Thessaly, including the largest part of Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.

Temperature

Abs. minimum temperature:, Ptolemaida.
Abs. maximum temperature:, Elefsina

Various areas of the country have registered temperatures over and below. The recorded by minimum/maximum thermometers in Tatoi and Elefsina on 10 July 1977 as reported by a communication of Dr. Athanasios D. Sarantopoulos was also the WMO record high temperature for Europe until 11 August 2021.
Average annual temperatures in Greece range from around in Kaimaktsalan up to in Lindos. Summer average highs in Greece are the highest in Skala, Messenia and the Evrotas Valley. Mainland Greece records a very high number of tropical nights reaching locally over 130 in Monemvasia while the islands can climb close to 160 tropical nights in Kastellorizo. Winter average temperatures locally reach over in the Dodecanese and below in mountainous areas.

Mean absolute minimum temperatures

Based on mean absolute minimum temperatures, plant hardiness zones in Greece vary from 6a to 11a. Downtown Athens falls in 10a zone while the Athens Riviera falls mostly in 10b zone. Thessaloniki straddles 9a/9b zones while areas in Macedonia may reach up to 10a zone. Zone 11a can be found in the Dodecanese, Crete, Cyclades and the Argo-Saronic Gulf, while Monemvasia in mainland Greece also falls in 11a zone. According to the Gouvas formula which adjusted USDA plant hardiness zones for Greece, Kasos also falls in 11b zone.
The table below provides USDA hardiness zones for selected areas from the data of the National Observatory of Athens and other public authorities.

City	Zone
Kastellorizo	11a
Kasos	11a
Karpathos	11a
Lindos	11a
Gavdos	11a
Psari Forada	11a
Lentas	11a
Palaiochora	11a
Rhodes Port	11a
Rhodes Airport	11a
Falasarna	11a
Heraklion Port	11a
Plakias	11a
Amorgos	11a
Nisyros	11a
Hydra	11a
Monemvasia	11a
Koufonisia	11a
Spetses	11a
Sisi	11a
Sifnos	11a
Sitia	11a
Malia	11a
Patmos	10b
Naxos	10b
Patras Port	10b
Lavrio	10b
Nea Smyrni	10b
Palaio Faliro	10b
Gazi, Athens	10a
Kifissia	10a
Arta	10a
Great Lavra	10a
Kalamaria	9b
Ippokrateios Politeia	9a
Nemea	9a
Serres	8b
Alexandroupolis	8b
Kaimaktsalan	7a
Vathistalos	6a

Average annual temperatures for selected areas

Area	°C
Lindos	22.0
Tris Ekklisies	22.0
Kastellorizo	21.9
Psari Forada	21.6
Lentas	21.0
Piraeus Port	21.0
Rhodes Port	20.9
Palaiochora	20.7
Gavdos	20.5
Nea Smyrni	20.5
Moschato	20.5
Falasarna	20.5
Hydra	20.4
Monemvasia	20.3
Piraeus Pedagogiki	20.3
Neos Kosmos	20.2
Salamina	20.2
Palaio Faliro	20.2
Nikaia	20.1
Perama	20.1
Piraeus Kallipoli	20.1
Patisia	20.0
Kasos	20.0

Heatwaves

According to HNMS the summer of 2024 was by far the warmest in the country's meteorological history, registering average summer temperatures as high as 32.0 °C. In fact, according to NOA Lindos recorded the highest average summer temperature in Europe with. In June 2024, both Sparta and Serres registered a record mean max temperature of while temperatures soared as high as 44.5 °C on the island of Crete. According to the National Observatory of Athens, in July 2024 Greece experienced a 16-day heatwave, its longest in recorded history. Gavalou and Serres had 14 consecutive days with temperatures over 40 °C, while minimum temperatures remained over 30 °C for 12 consecutive days in metropolitan Athens. In July 2024, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service station in Serres recorded a record mean maximum temperature of.
In July 2023, another long-lasting major heatwave struck the country with record-breaking temperatures mostly in the eastern part of the mainland. The World Meteorological Organization station in Gytheio, Peloponnese registered 46.4 °C, the highest value a National Observatory of Athens station has measured since records begun in 2006, and one of the highest values ever recorded in the country by any official institution. As a result of this heatwave, devastating fires burned forested areas in southern Rhodes and Laconia
In 2021, the government officials announced that they were considering giving the heatwaves names that could help people better prepare for more extreme heat after one of the longest and most intense heat wave in recorded history affected the country from 26 July to 10 August of that year, during which many records that stood for decades broke. Other notable heatwaves include the 2007 European heat wave and that of July 1987.