In Paros, an island of the Cyclades, and on the neighbouring sister island Antiparos, the climate is
, with mild, rainy winters and warm, sunny summers.
, and in summer, it is cooled by a frequent northerly wind. The wind has been exploited by windmills for centuries.
The interior of the island is occupied by hills, whose highest point is 732 meters (2,402 feet) above sea level.
follows the Mediterranean pattern, so it is concentrated from October to March, and it's not abundant, in fact, it amounts to about 480 millimeters (19 inches) per year, and this 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, intensifies the feeling of cold. Sometimes, cold air masses from the Balkans can bring cold days, when highs can remain below 10 °C (50 °F), and occasionally, even snow can fall.
, 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 in 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).
, from mid-September to November, is initially warm and sunny, but it gradually becomes cooler and more rainy. Autumn too, is windy: as long as the weather is good, the
still blows, while later, the southern wind blows, brought by disturbances coming from the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea.
in Paros is great in summer, when blue skies prevail, while in winter, sunny periods alternate with others characterized by clouds and rain.
is never very high because the wind that blows in summer tends to keep it a bit low, however, it reaches a maximum of 23.5/24 °C (74/76 °F) 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.
Spring, in April and May, is fine for excursions, but since it is almost never hot, you can usually stroll around the island even in summer, which usually we do not recommend in Mediterranean climates, and in general, in places where summer is hot.
. Here are the average temperatures.
January, the coldest month of the year, is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
11.9 °C, with a minimum of
9.6 °C and a maximum of
14.2 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
4.5 °C. However, it dropped to
1 °C in January 2015.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
18 °C. However, it reached
21 °C in January 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
95 mm, distributed over 9 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 69%.
The average wind speed is of
20.2 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
February is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
12.3 °C, with a minimum of
10 °C and a maximum of
14.6 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
5 °C. However, it dropped to
0 °C in February 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
19 °C. However, it reached
24 °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 70%. Hence, the air is normally humid.
The average wind speed is of
21.3 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
15.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
March is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
14 °C, with a minimum of
11.5 °C and a maximum of
16.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C. However, it dropped to
3 °C in March 2011.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
23 °C in March 2009.
Precipitation amounts to
60 mm, distributed over 6 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 68%.
The average wind speed is of
19.9 kph.
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
16.4 °C, with a minimum of
13.2 °C and a maximum of
19.5 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
9.5 °C. However, it dropped to
8 °C in April 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
25 °C. However, it reached
29.2 °C in April 2018.
Precipitation amounts to
25 mm, distributed over 3 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 62%.
The average wind speed is of
19 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
16.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.
May is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.4 °C, with a minimum of
16.9 °C and a maximum of
23.9 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13 °C. However, it dropped to
11 °C in May 2019.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
30 °C. However, it reached
35.7 °C in May 2020.
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 60%.
The average wind speed is of
16.1 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.5 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
June is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
24.6 °C, with a minimum of
21 °C and a maximum of
28.1 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in June 2005.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
40 °C in June 2007.
Precipitation amounts to only
4 mm, and all occurs in one day.
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 56%.
The average wind speed is of
18.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
21.7 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
July is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26.6 °C, with a minimum of
23.1 °C and a maximum of
30 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
20.5 °C. However, it dropped to
19 °C in July 2006.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
35 °C. However, it reached
40 °C in July 2007.
Precipitation amounts to only
2 mm, distributed over 0 days.
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 55%.
The average wind speed is of
23.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.5 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
August, the hottest month of the year, is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
26.8 °C, with a minimum of
23.5 °C and a maximum of
30 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
21 °C. However, it dropped to
19 °C in August 2009.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
34 °C. However, it reached
36 °C in August 2005.
Precipitation amounts to only
2 mm, distributed over 0 days.
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 57%.
The average wind speed is of
23.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
24.2 °C. Therefore, the sea is warm enough for swimming.
September is generally a warm to hot month. The average temperature is of
24 °C, with a minimum of
20.9 °C and a maximum of
27 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
17.5 °C. However, it dropped to
15 °C in September 2008.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
32 °C. However, it reached
36 °C in September 2007.
Precipitation amounts to
10 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 61%.
The average wind speed is of
20 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
23.3 °C. Therefore, the sea can be considered barely acceptable for swimming.
October is generally a warm month. The average temperature is of
20.2 °C, with a minimum of
17.4 °C and a maximum of
23 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
13.5 °C. However, it dropped to
9.5 °C in October 2018.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
27.5 °C. However, it reached
33.2 °C in October 2020.
Precipitation amounts to
50 mm, distributed over 3 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 66%.
The average wind speed is of
18.7 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
21.4 °C. Therefore, the sea is cool for swimming.
November is generally a very mild month. The average temperature is of
16.9 °C, with a minimum of
14.5 °C and a maximum of
19.3 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
10 °C. However, it dropped to
5 °C in November 2004.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
24 °C. However, it reached
29 °C in November 2008.
Precipitation amounts to
65 mm, distributed over 5 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 69%.
The average wind speed is of
18.6 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
18.9 °C. Therefore, the sea is very cool for swimming.
December is generally a mild month. The average temperature is of
13.6 °C, with a minimum of
11.4 °C and a maximum of
15.8 °C.
On the coldest nights of the month, the temperature usually drops to around
7 °C. However, it dropped to
3.9 °C in December 2016.
On the warmest days of the month, the temperature usually reaches around
20.5 °C. However, it reached
23 °C in December 2010.
Precipitation amounts to
90 mm, distributed over 9 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 70%.
The average wind speed is of
19.5 kph.
The average sea temperature is of
17 °C. Therefore, the sea is cold for swimming.