Theclimate in Greece is predominantlyMediterranean. However, due to the country's complexgeography,Greece has a wide range ofmicro-climates and local variations. The Greek mainland is extremely mountainous, making Greece one of the most mountainous countries in Europe.^[1][2] According to theKöppen climate classification Greece has 11 climates, the most inEurope for its size.^[3]

To the west of thePindus 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 isMount Olympus, 2,918 metres (9,573 ft).^[4] The northern areas of Greece have a transitional climate between thecontinental, theMediterranean and thehumid subtropical climate while there are marginal mountainous areas with analpine climate.Semi-arid climates are the second most common in Greece.^[5][6][7]

Average annual temperatures in Greece range from around +4 °C (39 °F) inKaimaktsalan up to +22 °C (72 °F)^[8] inLindos. The lowest average annual precipitation is recorded inSchoinoussa with 239 mm while the highest is found inTheodoriana with 2,529 mm.^[7] The highest temperature ever recorded was 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) inTatoi andElefsina while the lowest was −27.8 °C (−18.0 °F) inPtolemaida (a -35.3°C was recorded in a sinkhole in Kechroti).^[9][10][11]Hardiness zones in Greece vary from 6a to 11a.^[12][13]

The climate of Greece can be divided into the followingMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification:Cs) subtypes:

According to the Climate Atlas of Greece which was published by theHellenic National Meteorological Service (H.N.M.S) theMediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification:Csa) is the predominant climate found in Greece.^[6] This climate occurs in theNorth Aegean islands, some of theCyclades and most of theDodecanese,Evia, some low-lying areas ofAttica, theIonian Islands and most of the western coast of the country, the eastern and southern low-lyingPeloponnese areas, and the low-lying areas ofCrete. During the summer, theweather is most frequently sunny and dry, and any precipitation falls in the form of showers orthunderstorms fromcumuliform clouds. The air is usually hot during the day and pleasantly warm at night, but there are some very windy days, especially in theCyclades 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 thesea 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-summerMediterranean climate (Csb) exists in roughly the same areas but in higher elevations (>1,000 m.), such as mountParnitha inAttica.

In thisclimate type (Köppen climate classification:Csc) 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 thePindus andRhodope mountains, and predominantly the higher elevations of the mountains ofCrete.^[18]

This climate is classified as betweenhumid subtropical andcontinental (Köppen climate classification:Cfa andDfa) with strong characteristics of both the continental and Mediterranean climate.

According to the Climate Atlas ofGreece published by theHellenic National Meteorological Service and the network of theNational Observatory of Athens, ahot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSh) is found primarily inPiraeus and much of theAthens Riviera (withAnavyssos being the driest area of mainlandGreece), areas of WestAttica (Aspropyrgos,Salamina, Vlychada) and theGulf of Corinth, most of theCyclades (withSchoinoussa being the driest area inGreece) , some islands of theArgo-Saronic Gulf (Aigina,Hydra), some areas ofCrete (Lentas,Psari Forada,Moni Toplou),Gavdos, some islands of theDodecanese (Kasos,Nisyros,Karpathos) and locally inChalkidiki (Neos Marmaras) and indowntownThessaloniki.^[6][7]

Cold semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification:BSk) is found in many areas ofMacedonia andThessaly, including the largest part ofThessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece.^[6]

• Abs. minimum temperature: −27.8 °C (−18.0 °F),Ptolemaida^[9] (-35.3°C was recorded in asinkhole in Kechroti).^[10]
• Abs. maximum temperature: 48.0 °C (118.4 °F),Elefsina

Various areas of the country have registered temperatures over46.0 °C (114.8 °F) and below −21.0 °C (−5.8 °F). The 48.0 °C (118.4 °F) recorded by minimum/maximum thermometers inTatoi andElefsina on 10 July 1977 as reported by a communication of Dr. Athanasios D. Sarantopoulos was also theWMO record high temperature for Europe until 11 August 2021 (44 years).^[11][24]Average annual temperatures in Greece range from around +4 °C (39 °F) inKaimaktsalan up to +22 °C (72 °F)^[8] inLindos. Summer average highs in Greece are the highest inSkala, Messenia and theEvrotas Valley. Mainland Greece records a very high number oftropical nights reaching locally over 130 inMonemvasia while the islands can climb close to 160 tropical nights inKastellorizo. Winter average temperatures locally reach over 15.0 °C (59.0 °F) in theDodecanese and below −3.0 °C (26.6 °F) in mountainous areas.^[7]

Based on mean absolute minimum temperatures, planthardiness zones in Greece vary from 6a to 11b.^[12][13] DowntownAthens falls in 10a zone while theAthens Riviera falls mostly in 10b zone.^[7]Thessaloniki straddles 9a/9b zones while areas in Macedonia may reach up to 10a zone (Great Lavra,Neos Marmaras).^[7] Zone 11a can be found in theDodecanese,Crete,Cyclades and theArgo-Saronic Gulf, whileMonemvasia in mainland Greece also falls in 11a zone.^[12][7] According to the Gouvas formula which adjustedUSDA^[34] plant hardiness zones for Greece,Kasos also falls in 11b zone.^[35][7]

The table below provides USDA hardiness zones for selected areas from the data of theNational Observatory of Athens and other public authorities.

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.^[78] In fact, according to NOALindos recorded the highest average summer temperature inEurope with 32.0 °C (89.6 °F).^[79][80] In June 2024, bothSparta andSerres registered a record mean max temperature of 37.6 °C (99.7 °F) while temperatures soared as high as 44.5 °C (112.1 °F) on the island ofCrete.^[81][82] According to theNational Observatory of Athens, in July 2024 Greece experienced a 16-day heatwave, its longest in recorded history.^[83]Gavalou andSerres had 14 consecutive days with temperatures over 40 °C (104 °F), while minimum temperatures remained over 30 °C (86 °F) for 12 consecutive days in metropolitanAthens.^[84][85][86] In July 2024, theHellenic National Meteorological Service station in Serres recorded a record mean maximum temperature of 39.1 °C (102.4 °F).^[87][88][89]

In July 2023, another long-lastingmajor heatwave struck the country with record-breaking temperatures mostly in the eastern part of the mainland. TheWorld Meteorological Organization station inGytheio,Peloponnese^[90] registered 46.4 °C (115.5 °F), 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^[91] burned forested areas in southernRhodes andLaconia^[92]

In 2021, the government officials announced that they were considering giving the heatwaves names that could help people better prepare for more extreme heat^[93] after one of the longest and most intenseheat 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.^[94] Other notable heatwaves include the2007 European heat wave and that of July 1987.^[95]

Major wildfires, attributed to the effects ofglobal heating, broke out in "practically every region" of Greece in 2023 when temperatures in mainland Greece reached 45 °C (113 °F).^[96] There were also major wildfires in 2024 (reaching the suburbs of Athens)^[97] and 2025.^[98]

According to the data of the network of meteorological stations which belong to theNational Observatory of Athens, the lowest average annual precipitation in Greece is recorded inSchoinoussa with 239 mm (2013-2024) while the highest average annual precipitation in the country is recorded inTheodoriana,Epirus, with 2,529 mm (2009-2023).^[7] According to Mariolopoulos the south east tip ofLasithi recorded a mean annual precipitation of only 207.1 mm (1915-1929) and showed aMediterranean desert climate.^[99]Ioannina, the capital city ofEpirus is considered to be the wettest city in mainland Greece with a population of over 50,000 inhabitants, receiving precipitation just short of 1,100 mm per year.^[100]

Probably the most well known local winds inGreece are theetesians (also known asmeltemia). With their name notating their annual fluctuation (έτος (étos) means year inGreek), thesewinds may blow from May to October, with their highest frequency being recorded in July and August. They keeptemperatures and diurnal temperature fluctuations in theAegean Sea lower than the respective ones found in theIonian Sea or mainlandGreece.^[107]

According to the Climatic Atlas published by theHellenic National Meteorological Service, Greece receives less than 1.600 hours of sunshine per year in mountainous areas ofEpirus and more than 3.250 hours of sunshine per year inSouth Crete.^[6] Greece is one of the few remaining countries in the world to exclusively useCampbell-Stokes sunshine recorders which underestimate annual sunshine by around 200 hours compared to automatic heliographs.^[108]

• Hellenic National Meteorological Service
• National Observatory of Athens
• Greek weather records - Temperature and precipitation records in Greece
• Network of online weather stations

• Climate of Greece
• Climate by country

• CS1 Greek-language sources (el)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2023