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In Rhodes, an island of the Eastern Aegean Sea, located a short distance from the Turkish coast, the climate is
Mediterranean, with mild, rainy winters and hot, sunny summers.
The daily average
temperature ranges from 12.5 °C (54.5 °F) in January to 27.5 °C (81.5 °F) in August. Here are the average temperatures.
Rhodes - Average temperatures (1991-2020) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 10 | 15 | 12.6 | 50 | 59 | 54.8 |
|---|
| February | 10 | 15 | 12.8 | 50 | 60 | 55 |
|---|
| March | 12 | 17 | 14.4 | 53 | 63 | 58 |
|---|
| April | 14 | 20 | 17 | 57 | 68 | 62.5 |
|---|
| May | 18 | 24 | 20.7 | 64 | 75 | 69.3 |
|---|
| June | 22 | 28 | 24.7 | 71 | 82 | 76.5 |
|---|
| July | 24 | 30 | 27 | 75 | 86 | 80.5 |
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| August | 25 | 30 | 27.5 | 76 | 87 | 81.6 |
|---|
| September | 23 | 28 | 25.3 | 73 | 83 | 77.6 |
|---|
| October | 19 | 25 | 21.8 | 66 | 76 | 71.2 |
|---|
| November | 15 | 20 | 17.6 | 58 | 69 | 63.6 |
|---|
| December | 12 | 17 | 14.2 | 53 | 62 | 57.5 |
|---|
| Year | 16.8 | 22.6 | 19.65 | 62.2 | 72.6 | 67.5 |
|---|
amounts to 655 millimeters (25.7 inches) per year, and is concentrated from October to March; the rains often occur in the form of thunderstorms, and can sometimes be abundant. In summer, basically it never rains. Here is the average precipitation.
Rhodes - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 145 | 5.7 | 9 |
|---|
| February | 90 | 3.5 | 8 |
|---|
| March | 65 | 2.6 | 6 |
|---|
| April | 40 | 1.6 | 5 |
|---|
| May | 25 | 1 | 2 |
|---|
| June | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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| July | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| August | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|---|
| September | 0 | 0 | 1 |
|---|
| October | 45 | 1.8 | 3 |
|---|
| November | 100 | 3.9 | 6 |
|---|
| December | 140 | 5.5 | 11 |
|---|
| Year | 655 | 25.8 | 50 |
|---|
, 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). The wind can increase the feeling of cold. The coldest record is -4 °C (25 °F), set in January 1964, although the temperature never dropped below freezing from 1991 to 2020.
At sea level, 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 meters (3,900 feet), it can sometimes snow.
Spring, from mid-March to May, is mild, and becomes progressively warmer and sunnier, as well as less rainy.
Summer, from June to mid-September, is hot, quite muggy and sunny. The
Meltemi, the wind from the north-west, blows by mid-May, cooling the air, but with lower intensity than on the islands of the central Aegean Sea, such as Mykonos or Naxos. In addition, sometimes, there are periods of intense heat, with maximum temperatures about 35 °C (95 °F) or more. The highest record is 41.2 °C (106.2 °F) and was set in August 1963.
Autumn, from mid-September to November, is pleasantly warm at the beginning, then it gradually becomes milder, and also rainier.
The amount of
sunshine in Rhodes is great in summer, when clear skies prevail, while in winter, sunny periods alternate with others characterized by clouds and rain. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Rhodes - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 4 | 120 | February | 4.5 | 135 | March | 6 | 180 | April | 8 | 235 | May | 9.5 | 300 | June | 12 | 355 | July | 12 | 370 | August | 11 | 345 | September | 9 | 275 | October | 6.5 | 205 | November | 5 | 145 | December | 3.5 | 115 | Year | 7.6 | 2780 |
The
sea is warm enough for swimming from June to October, and reaches 26 °C (79 °F) in August. 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.
Rhodes - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 17.5 | 63 | February | 16.5 | 62 | March | 16.5 | 62 | April | 17.5 | 64 | May | 20 | 68 | June | 23 | 73 | July | 25 | 77 | August | 26.5 | 79 | September | 25.5 | 78 | October | 23.5 | 74 | November | 20.5 | 69 | December | 18.5 | 65 | Year | 20.8 | 69.5 |
Best Time
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 can also be cool for sunbathing, at least on certain days.
If you want to visit the ruins of ancient Greece or of 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.