Average weather, temperature, rainfall, sunshine hours
In Ios, which belongs to the Cyclades Islands, and on the nearby island of Sikinos, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and warm, sunny summers.
The island is
windy, and in summer, it is cooled by a frequent wind that blows from the north. The wind has been exploited for centuries by windmills, while in recent times, the waves generated by the wind are appreciated by surfers, especially on the north coast.
The interior of the island is occupied by hills, whose highest point, Pyrgos, reaches 711 meters (2,333 feet).
The daily average
temperature ranges from 11 °C (52 °F) in January and February to 26.5 °C (79.5 °F) in July and August. Here are the average temperatures.
Ios - Average temperatures (1991-2020) Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
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January | 8.7 | 13.3 | 11 | 48 | 56 | 51.8 |
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February | 8.7 | 13.5 | 11.1 | 48 | 56 | 52 |
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March | 10 | 15.6 | 12.8 | 50 | 60 | 55 |
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April | 12.3 | 19.3 | 15.8 | 54 | 67 | 60.4 |
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May | 16.1 | 24.2 | 20.2 | 61 | 76 | 68.4 |
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June | 20.4 | 28.7 | 24.5 | 69 | 84 | 76.1 |
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July | 22.6 | 30.4 | 26.5 | 73 | 87 | 79.7 |
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August | 23 | 30.2 | 26.6 | 73 | 86 | 79.9 |
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September | 20.5 | 27.3 | 23.9 | 69 | 81 | 75 |
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October | 17.2 | 23.1 | 20.2 | 63 | 74 | 68.4 |
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November | 13.4 | 18.5 | 16 | 56 | 65 | 60.8 |
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December | 10.3 | 14.7 | 12.5 | 51 | 58 | 54.5 |
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Year | 15.3 | 21.6 | 18.5 | 59.5 | 70.9 | 65.3 |
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Precipitation follows the Mediterranean pattern, being concentrated from October to March, and it's not abundant, since it amounts to about 400 millimeters (15.7 inches) per year, which is confirmed by the aridity of the landscape. In summer, it practically never rains. Here is the average precipitation.
Ios - Average precipitationMonth | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
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January | 65 | 2.6 | 7 |
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February | 65 | 2.6 | 7 |
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March | 50 | 2 | 5 |
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April | 20 | 0.8 | 4 |
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May | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
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June | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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July | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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August | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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September | 5 | 0.2 | 1 |
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October | 30 | 1.2 | 2 |
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November | 60 | 2.4 | 6 |
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December | 90 | 3.5 | 10 |
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Year | 400 | 15.7 | 45 |
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Winter, from December to mid-March, is mild, quite rainy and windy. The wind, frequent and sometimes intense, exacerbates the feeling of cold. Sometimes, cold air from the Balkan Peninsula can arrive here, and there can be cold days, with highs below 10 °C (50 °F), and sometimes, even snow can fall.
Spring, from mid-March to May, is mild and sunny, with rain gradually becoming more rare, and it's also quite windy. By mid-May, the
Meltemi starts to blow, a persistent wind, cool and dry, blowing from the north for a few days in a row, especially in the daytime, but sometimes even at night.
Summer, from June to mid-September, is warm and sunny, but also windy. The Meltemi blows for long periods, especially in July and August, and it's stronger in the afternoon, but can insist also in the evening. Thanks to this wind, the maximum temperature remains around 30 °C (86 °F), even though we can not be exclude periods with temperatures about 35/36 °C (95/97 °F), and very rarely, peaks of 40 °C (104 °F).
Autumn, from mid-September to November, is initially warm and sunny, but gradually becomes cooler and rainier. Autumn is a windy season too because of the southern wind, which is brought by low pressure systems coming from the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.
The amount of
sunshine in Ios is great in summer, when blue skies prevail, while in winter, sunny periods alternate with others characterized by clouds and rain.
Here are the average daily sunshine hours.
Ios - Sunshine hoursMonth | Average | Total |
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January | 4 | 125 | February | 5 | 150 | March | 6.5 | 200 | April | 8.5 | 260 | May | 9.5 | 300 | June | 11 | 335 | July | 12 | 375 | August | 11.5 | 355 | September | 9.5 | 290 | October | 7.5 | 235 | November | 5.5 | 170 | December | 4 | 125 | Year | 8 | 2915 |
The temperature of the
sea is not very high, however, it becomes warm enough for swimming from July to September; in June, it's still a bit cool. Here are the average sea temperatures.
Ios - Sea temperatureMonth | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
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January | 16.5 | 61 | February | 15.5 | 60 | March | 15.5 | 60 | April | 16.5 | 62 | May | 18.5 | 66 | June | 22 | 71 | July | 23.5 | 75 | August | 24.5 | 76 | September | 24 | 75 | October | 22 | 72 | November | 19.5 | 67 | December | 17.5 | 64 | Year | 19.7 | 67.4 |
Best Time
The
best time to go to Ios for a beach holiday is summer, from June to mid-September.
It's better to bring a sweatshirt for cool evenings, which occur mainly in June, but given the intensity of the wind, those who are sensitive to cold may feel a bit cool even in July and August.
If you want to go on excursions, you can go in spring, in April and May, but since it hardly ever gets very hot, normally, you can stroll through the island even in summer.
Back to the
Cyclades Islands.