Athens climate
Athens (Greece) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 18 °C65 °F, and about 500 mm20 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Athens climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1254 | 744 | 1049 | 662.6 |
| Feb | 1356 | 745 | 1050 | 582.3 |
| Mar | 1661 | 948 | 1254 | 532.1 |
| Apr | 1967 | 1152 | 1559 | 301.2 |
| May | 2577 | 1660 | 2069 | 210.8 |
| Jun | 3086 | 2069 | 2578 | 190.8 |
| Jul | 3391 | 2374 | 2882 | 110.5 |
| Aug | 3391 | 2374 | 2882 | 80.3 |
| Sep | 2883 | 2068 | 2476 | 291.2 |
| Oct | 2374 | 1661 | 2067 | 491.9 |
| Nov | 1865 | 1254 | 1559 | 692.7 |
| Dec | 1457 | 948 | 1152 | 863.4 |
| Year | 3391 | 744 | 1865 | 50020 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 81% | 57% | 2.2 | 9:48 |
| Feb | 81% | 56% | 3.0 | 10:44 |
| Mar | 77% | 50% | 4.4 | 11:51 |
| Apr | 71% | 45% | 5.7 | 13:08 |
| May | 62% | 37% | 6.8 | 14:12 |
| Jun | 55% | 21% | 7.7 | 14:47 |
| Jul | 51% | 11% | 7.8 | 14:33 |
| Aug | 53% | 10% | 7.0 | 13:37 |
| Sep | 61% | 24% | 5.4 | 12:22 |
| Oct | 71% | 38% | 3.7 | 11:08 |
| Nov | 78% | 50% | 2.5 | 10:03 |
| Dec | 81% | 58% | 1.9 | 9:32 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Athens is like
The warmest month is July, with an average high of 33 °C91 °F and a low of 23 °C74 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 12 °C54 °F and lows 7 °C44 °F. Seasons are strongly marked: the warmest month is on average 18.3 °C33 °F warmer than the coldest.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 500 mm20 in. The wettest three-month stretch is November–January, which brings 44% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: June–August. The wettest month is December (86 mm3.4 in), the driest is August (8 mm0.3 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 51% in July to 81% in January. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 10%) are typical of August. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 10 km/h (6 mph) in May to 13 km/h (8 mph) in August. Daylight lasts from about 9.5 hours in December to 14.8 hours in June.
Best time to visit Athens
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April and May and September and October: average highs of 19 °C67 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 21 mm0.8 in to 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation per month.
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
What to pack for Athens
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1254 to 14 °C57 °F, lows 744 to 9 °C48 °F, about 70 mm2.8 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1661 to 25 °C77 °F, lows 948 to 16 °C60 °F, about 35 mm1.4 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 3086 to 33 °C91 °F, lows 2069 to 23 °C74 °F, about 13 mm0.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack very light, breathable clothing, a sun hat and plenty of water.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 1865 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 1254 to 20 °C68 °F, about 49 mm1.9 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Athens compares
Compared with İzmir, about 302 km to the east, Athens is on average 1 °C1.8 °F warmer and receives 23% less precipitation (500 mm20 in vs 646 mm25 in). The difference is largest in December (1.7 °C3.1 °F warmer).
Of the 6 places in Greece covered by World Climates, Athens is the 4th warmest by annual mean temperature and the 3rd wettest by annual precipitation. See all of them on the Greece climate page.
Places in other countries with the most similar temperature and rainfall pattern: Blida (Algeria, Csa), Catania (Italy, Csa) and Sidi Bel Abbes (Algeria, Csa).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Piraeus (pop. 163,688) and Kallithéa (pop. 100,641). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Athens, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Peristéri 5 km · 18 °C65 °F · 500 mm20 in
- Pátra 177 km · 18 °C65 °F · 719 mm28 in
- Lárisa 215 km · 17 °C63 °F · 499 mm20 in
- İzmir 302 km · 17 °C63 °F · 646 mm25 in
- Thessaloníki 303 km · 15 °C60 °F · 515 mm20 in
- Bornova 312 km · 17 °C63 °F · 636 mm25 in
- Irákleion 321 km · 20 °C67 °F · 462 mm18 in
- Çanakkale 335 km · 17 °C62 °F · 615 mm24 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Athens?
July is the warmest month in Athens, with an average high of 33 °C (91 °F) and an average low of 23 °C (74 °F).
What is the coldest month in Athens?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 12 °C (54 °F) and an average low of 7 °C (44 °F).
When does it rain the most in Athens?
December is the wettest month with about 86 mm (3.4 in) of precipitation; August is the driest with about 8 mm (0.3 in).
What is the best time to visit Athens?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April and May and September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station, so they can differ from airport records — most of all on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 140 m, while Athens lies at about 70 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.5 °C0.8 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.