In Rhodes, an island of the Eastern Aegean Sea, a short distance from the Turkish coast, the climate is Mediterranean, with mild and rainy winters, and hot and sunny summers. The average temperature in January and February is 12 °C (53.5 °F), that of August is 27 °C (80.5 °F).
Here are the average temperatures.
Average temperatures - Rhodes

Rhodes	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rhodes	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Min (°C)	9	9	10	13	16	20	22	23	20	17	13	10
Max (°C)	15	15	17	20	24	28	31	31	28	24	20	17
Min (°F)	48	48	50	55	61	68	72	73	68	63	55	50
Max (°F)	59	59	63	68	75	82	88	88	82	75	68	63

Rainfall amounts to 700 millimetres (27.5 inches) per year, and is concentrated from October to March; the rains often occur in the form of thunderstorms, and sometimes can be abundant. In summer, basically it never rains. Here is the average precipitation.
Average precipitation - Rhodes

Rhodes	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Rhodes	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D	Y
Prec. (mm)	150	120	75	25	15	3	0	0	7	65	90	145	695
Prec. (in)	5.9	4.7	3	1	0.6	0.1	0	0	0.3	2.6	3.5	5.7	27.4
Days	11	9	7	3	2	0	0	0	1	5	6	11	55

Winter, from December to mid-March, is mild: daytime temperatures hover about 15/17 °C (59/63 °F). The rains are quite frequent, but there are also sunny days. Sometimes it can get a little cold: lows can drop to about 3/5 °C (37/41 °F), and highs can remain about 7/10 °C (45/50 °F). Wind can increase the feeling of cold. In the plains, substantially it never snows (sometimes you can see the snow falling, but it does not accumulate on the ground), while on inland hills, which reach 1,200 metres (3,900 feet), sometimes it can snow.

Spring, from mid-March to May, is mild, and becomes progressively warmer and sunnier, and less rainy.

Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot, quite muggy and sunny. The Meltemi, the wind from the north-west, blows from mid-May, cooling the air, but with lower intensity than in the central islands of the Aegean Sea, such as Mykonos or Naxos. In addition, sometimes there are some periods of intense heat, with maximum temperatures about 35 °C (95 °F).

Autumn, from mid-September to November, is pleasantly warm at the beginning, then it gradually becomes milder, and also more rainy.



The amount of sunshine in Rhodes is great in summer, when clear skies prevail, and it is very good in spring, while in autumn and winter, sunny periods alternate with others characterized by clouds and rain.
Sunshine - Rhodes

Rhodes	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rhodes	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sun (hours)	5	6	7	9	11	13	14	13	11	8	6	5

The sea is warm enough for swimming from June to October, and reaches 25 °C (77 °F) in August and September. In this eastern part of the Aegean Sea, the sea is a bit warmer than in the central part, because the wind is weaker and less frequent.
Here are the average sea temperatures.
Sea temperature - Rhodes

Rhodes	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rhodes	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Sea (°C)	17	16	16	17	19	23	24	25	25	23	20	18
Sea (°F)	63	61	61	63	66	73	75	77	77	73	68	64

The best time to go to Rhodes, for a beach holiday, goes from June to mid-September. In early June it can still be a little cool in the evening: for safety you can bring a sweatshirt.
In May, not only the sea is still a bit cold, but the air also can be cool for sunbathing, at least on certain days.
To visit the ruins of ancient Greece or the Middle Ages, the best time is spring, ie April and May, because in summer it can be hot. You can also choose autumn, which however is more rainy.

Back to the Dodecanese.