In Milos, the most south-western island of the Cyclades, and on the nearby islands of Kimolos, Polyaigos and Antimilos, the climate is
, with mild, rainy winters and warm, sunny summers.
, and in summer, it is cooled by a wind which often blows from the north. The wind has been exploited for centuries by windmills.
The interior of the island is flat in the eastern part, while the western one is occupied by hills, whose highest point is Mount
, 748 meters (2,454 feet) high. The island is of origin volcanic and is characterized by a lunar landscape, with rocky terrain, caves and sulfur springs.
ranges from 11 °C (52 °F) in January and February to 26.5 °C (79.5 °F) in July and August.
follows the Mediterranean pattern, in fact, it is 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.
, from December to mid-March, is mild, quite rainy and windy. The wind, frequent and sometimes intense, exacerbates the feeling of cold. Sometimes, the area can be affected by cold air coming from the Balkans, in fact, there can be cold days, with highs below 10 °C (50 °F), and sometimes, even snow can fall, although generally there is no accumulation at sea level. The coldest record is -2 °C (28.4 °F) and was set in February 1976 and in February 2004.
, from mid-March to May, is mild and sunny, and also quite windy. By mid-May, the
starts to blow, a persistent wind, cool and dry, blowing from the north for a few days in a row, especially during the daytime, but sometimes even at night.
, 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). The highest record is 42 °C (107.6 °F), set in July 1998 and in July 2000.
, from mid-September to November, is initially warm and sunny, but then it gradually becomes cooler and rainier. Autumn too is windy: as long as the weather is good, the
still blows, while later, the wind blows along with disturbances from the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.
in Milos is excellent in summer, when clear skies prevail, while in winter, sunny periods alternate with others characterized by clouds and rain.
is not very high, however, it is warm enough for swimming from July to September; in June, it is still a bit cool.
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 also in July and August.
If you want to go on excursions, you can go in spring, in April and May, but since it's usually not too hot, you can stroll around the island also in summer.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11 °C, with a minimum of
8.7 °C and a maximum of
13.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-1 °C in January 2002.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
23 °C in January 1997.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 40% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
16.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
February is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.1 °C, with a minimum of
8.7 °C and a maximum of
13.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
3.5 °C. However, it dropped to
-2 °C in February 2004.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18.5 °C. However, it reached
22.8 °C in February 2016.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 7 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 55 minutes.
There are on average 5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 48% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
15.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.8 °C, with a minimum of
10 °C and a maximum of
15.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5.5 °C. However, it dropped to
0 °C in March 2003.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
21 °C. However, it reached
30 °C in March 2001.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 5 days.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 0 minutes.
There are on average 6.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 53% of the time.
The average humidity is 72%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
15.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
April is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
15.8 °C, with a minimum of
12.3 °C and a maximum of
19.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
8.5 °C. However, it dropped to
4 °C in April 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25.5 °C. However, it reached
30.6 °C in April 1993.
Precipitation amounts to
20 mm, distributed over 4 days.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 8.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 66% of the time.
The average humidity is 67%.
The average sea temperature is of
16.3 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.2 °C, with a minimum of
16.1 °C and a maximum of
24.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
12.5 °C. However, it dropped to
10 °C in May 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
31 °C. However, it reached
36.6 °C in May 1994.
Precipitation amounts to
15 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 10 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 68% of the time.
The average humidity is 64%.
The average sea temperature is of
18.6 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
24.5 °C, with a minimum of
20.4 °C and a maximum of
28.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
16 °C. However, it dropped to
12.4 °C in June 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
41.6 °C in June 2007.
Precipitation amounts to only
0 mm, so on average it never rains in the whole month.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 40 minutes. So the days are long. June 21, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 11 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 77% of the time.
The average humidity is 59%.
The average sea temperature is of
21.8 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
July is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26.5 °C, with a minimum of
22.6 °C and a maximum of
30.4 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
19.5 °C. However, it dropped to
17.8 °C in July 1992.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
36.5 °C. However, it reached
42 °C in July 1998.
Precipitation amounts to only
0 mm, so on average it never rains in the whole month.
The day lasts on average 14 hours and 25 minutes. So the days are long.
There are on average 12 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 84% of the time.
The average humidity is 60%.
The average sea temperature is of
23.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26.6 °C, with a minimum of
23 °C and a maximum of
30.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
21 °C. However, it dropped to
18.8 °C in August 1997.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35.5 °C. However, it reached
39.2 °C in August 1999.
Precipitation amounts to only
0 mm, so on average it never rains in the whole month.
The day lasts on average 13 hours and 30 minutes.
There are on average 11.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 85% of the time.
The average humidity is 63%.
The average sea temperature is of
24.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
September is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
23.9 °C, with a minimum of
20.5 °C and a maximum of
27.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17 °C. However, it dropped to
13 °C in September 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
33.5 °C. However, it reached
39.6 °C in September 1994.
Precipitation amounts to only
5 mm, and all occurs in one day.
The day lasts on average 12 hours and 25 minutes.
There are on average 9.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 77% of the time.
The average humidity is 66%.
The average sea temperature is of
24.1 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.2 °C, with a minimum of
17.2 °C and a maximum of
23.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13 °C. However, it dropped to
10.2 °C in October 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
28.5 °C. However, it reached
35 °C in October 1991.
Precipitation amounts to
30 mm, distributed over 2 days.
The day lasts on average 11 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 68% of the time.
The average humidity is 71%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
22.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16 °C, with a minimum of
13.4 °C and a maximum of
18.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9 °C. However, it dropped to
3.8 °C in November 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
23.5 °C. However, it reached
28 °C in November 1992.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 6 days.
The day lasts on average 10 hours and 10 minutes.
There are on average 5.5 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 56% of the time.
The average humidity is 74%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
19.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.5 °C, with a minimum of
10.3 °C and a maximum of
14.7 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
1 °C in December 2010.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19.5 °C. However, it reached
26.2 °C in December 1998.
Precipitation amounts to
90 mm, distributed over 10 days.
The day lasts on average 9 hours and 40 minutes. December 21, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
There are on average 4 hours of sunshine per day. So, the sun shines 41% of the time.
The average humidity is 73%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average sea temperature is of
17.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.