In Paxos, a small Greek island located in the Ionian Sea, a short distance from Corfu, and in nearby Antipaxos, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers. The daily average temperature ranges from 9.5 °C (49 °F) in January to 25 °C (77 °F) in August.
Here are the average temperatures.

Rainfall is quite abundant, in fact, it amounts to nearly 1,100 millimeters (43 inches) per year, and follows the Mediterranean pattern, with a maximum in autumn and winter, while from June to August, it hardly ever rains. The rains are abundant especially from October to February. Here is the average precipitation.

Winter, from December to mid-March, is mild enough, although it is not as mild as the southernmost islands of Greece; in addition, it is rainy, especially in December, when 180 mm (7 in) of rain fall; during some years, the rains are particularly abundant. Sometimes, there may be outbreaks of cold air from the Balkan Peninsula, with some cold and windy days, and possible slight frosts at night.

Spring, from mid-March to May, is mild; the rains are quite frequent at the beginning, but then, they gradually become rarer, and sunny days become increasingly more frequent. May is a pleasant month, before the summer heat.

Summer, from June to August, is hot and sunny: the maximum temperature exceeds 30 °C (86 °F) with some frequency, and can reach 35/36 °C (95/97 °F), especially in July and August. Luckily, sea breezes blow, providing relief, at least when the heat is not excessive, and in any case, you can cool yourself in the sea. This part of Greece, overlooking the Ionian Sea, is outside of the area where the annoying but cooling Meltemi blows, so the sea is also warmer (see below).

Autumn, from September to November, is mild (and initially quite hot too) and rainy, with possible thunderstorms. In September, there can still be a lot of sunny days.



The amount of sunshine in Paxos is great in summer, when clear skies prevail, but it is also good in spring, when days with clear of partly cloudy skies are already frequent. On the contrary, from October to March, there is not much sun because there are sunny days but also periods of bad weather. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.

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

Best Time

The best time to go to Paxos for a beach holiday goes from June to August, although the weather is often good still in the first half of September.
If you want to go on excursions around the island, you can go from mid-April to mid-June in order to avoid the heat that can occur in high summer.

Back to the Ionian Islands.