greece

The Greek climate

greek climateGreece has one of the best climates in the world, the Mediterranean. This climate is characterized by its warm summer, mild winters, relatively low rainfall and long duration of sunshine. It is the most favorable climate for humans, which occurs in only 3% of the globe.

Almost all the peoples of antiquity who created the great civilizations lived with this climate. Its softness and sweetness influenced the people of the areas it characterizes, and gave them a sense of moderation, a key feature of their manifestations.

Greece is a Mediterranean country. It is bathed by the sea from the east, south and west, which significantly affects its climate. Greece, in general, has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. This climate, which occurs in the countries around the Mediterranean Sea, is called temperate Mediterranean. The climate is not the same in all regions of Greece, areas near the sea havε milder winters than others that are away from the coasts.

From place to place, however, it presents several peculiarities, the result of which is the differentiation that exists in the flora and fauna of the area.

The Greek climate is characterized by mountainous, coastal and continental

The mountainous climate is the climate presented by the many and high Greek mountain peaks. It is distinguished for the abundance of snowfall, especially during the winter months, for the intense but “dry” cold and the high rainfall index that it presents, the consequence of which is the overgrown of the Greek slopes. During the summer the temperature rises significantly but never reaches very high levels. So the mountains are ideal vacation spots at this time of year.

The best kind of Mediterranean climate is the coastal one. This climate is characterized by its sweet winters and cool summers. In many coastal cities, however, there is a high rate of rainfall, resulting in the presence of a fairly high percentage of humidity in the atmosphere.

The continental climate is what has the most similarities with the climate of continental Europe. The main feature of this climate is the strong temperature difference that occurs in the places of this climate between winter and summer. In particular, while in winter the thermometer often drops several degrees below 0 °, in summer there is an unbearable heat. Such a climate is the climate observed in the extensive Thessalian plain.

However, apart from the climatic differences, which are due on the one hand to the altitude, on the other hand to the distance of the place we study from the sea, an important factor shaping the Greek climate, seems to be the complex horizontal and vertical division, which characterizes the our country and the sea currents that dominate the Greek seas.

The east coasts of Greece exposed to the cold north winds show, as a rule, lower temperatures than the corresponding western ones, which are dominated by the warm wet winds of Africa. The large percentage of moisture contained by the latter is due to the significant difference in the rainfall index, which is observed between eastern and western Greece.

The winds

Greece is one of the most windswept countries in the Mediterranean. The variety, both the intensity and the direction of the prevailing winds, is important. The most prevalent, however, are basically the winds that blow from the north. These, together with the south winds, which blow in a smaller area and frequency, are observed throughout the year throughout Greece. Apart from them, the seasonal (meltemia) and local winds (livas, vardaris) are observed. The climatic configuration of some areas is also due to the latter (eastern Peloponnese, plain of Thessaloniki).Southerly winds are, as a rule, rainy winds.

Winter in Greece

winter in greeceDespite the fact that Greece has one of the largest sunshines in the world, during the winter, especially in mountainous and eastern Greece, there is a significant number of rainfall, which gradually decreases to the east. This irregular distribution of rain affects both vegetation and the volume of flowing water.

The northern and western part has rich vegetation and rivers with plenty of water, even during the summer months, while, on the contrary, the southeastern part in particular is characterized by poor vegetation and drought.

The snow falls during the winter months mainly and is typical of the climate of the mountainous and mainland areas. In some parts of the country, especially in the mountains, snowfall is a permanent condition throughout the year.

The few areas where the snow phenomenon is rare should include the coastal cities of southern Greece and the island country (although the mountain peaks of the White Mountains of the southernmost island of our homeland, Crete, are covered.