In Lefkada (also called Leucas), a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild and rainy winters, and hot and sunny summers. In the plains, the average temperature of January is 9.5 °C (49 °F), that of August is 26 °C (79 °F).
Here are the average temperatures.
Average temperatures - Lefkada

Lefkada	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Lefkada	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	6	6	7	10	15	18	21	21	18	14	10	7
Max (°C)	13	15	16	18	23	27	30	31	27	22	17	15
Min (°F)	43	43	45	50	59	64	70	70	64	57	50	45
Max (°F)	55	59	61	64	73	81	86	88	81	72	63	59

The rains amount to about 1.000 millimetres (40 inches) per year, and follow the Mediterranean pattern, being concentrated in the period from October to April, while in summer it rains very rarely. The rains are plentiful from October to February, when they exceed 100 mm (4 in) per month.
Here is the average precipitation.
Average precipitation - Lefkada

Lefkada	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Lefkada	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	140	130	90	70	40	20	10	15	50	130	175	185	1050
Prec. (in)	5,5	5,1	3,5	2,8	1,6	0,8	0,4	0,6	2	5,1	6,9	7,3	41,3
Days	12	11	10	8	6	3	1	2	4	8	11	13	89

The island is very close to the mainland, to which it is connected by a bridge. In the interior there are hills and low mountains, which culminate in Mount Stavrota, 1,158 metres (3,799 feet) high. Given the amount of rainfall, the island is green, despite the summer drought, and it's covered with forests.



Winter, from December to mid-March, is mild and rainy: there is a moderate amount of sunny days, but they alternate with periods of bad weather, with rains even abundant. Sometimes a cold wind from the north can blow, and in the coldest nights, light frosts can occur in the plain.

Spring, from mid-March to May, is mild; the rains become gradually rarer, and fine weather becomes more and more frequent. May is a good month, before the summer heat.

Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot and sunny; the maximum temperature normally fluctuates around 30 °C (86 °F), but sometimes it can touch 35/37 °C (95/99 °F). Luckily, sea breezes blow, and in any case you can cool yourself down in the sea.

Autumn, from mid-September to November, is mild (initially even quite warm) and rainy. In October there can still be sunny days, but the rains are quite abundant, and can also occur in the form of thunderstorms.



The amount of sunshine in Lefkada is great in late spring and summer, when clear skies prevail; from October to April instead it is only passable, because there are sunny days, but also periods of bad weather.
Sunshine - Lefkada

Lefkada	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Lefkada	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sun (hours)	5	5	6	8	9	11	13	12	9	7	5	4

The temperature of the sea in Lefkada is high enough for swimming from July to September, while in June it is still a bit cool, around 22 °C (72 °F), but overall acceptable.
Here are the average sea temperatures.
Sea temperature - Lefkada

Lefkada	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Lefkada	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sea (°C)	16	15	15	16	18	22	24	26	25	22	19	17
Sea (°F)	61	59	59	61	64	72	75	79	77	72	66	63

The best time to go to Lefkada, for swimming and sunbathing, runs from June to mid-September.
For hiking and walking across the island, you can go from mid-April to mid-June, to avoid the heat that can occur in high summer.

Back to the Ionian Islands.