Irákleion climate
Irákleion (Greece) has a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa). The average temperature over the year is 20 °C67 °F, and about 462 mm18 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Irákleion climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1558 | 1253 | 1356 | 883.5 |
| Feb | 1559 | 1253 | 1356 | 742.9 |
| Mar | 1661 | 1355 | 1558 | 421.6 |
| Apr | 1966 | 1558 | 1762 | 220.9 |
| May | 2373 | 1864 | 2069 | 150.6 |
| Jun | 2679 | 2271 | 2475 | 50.2 |
| Jul | 2883 | 2476 | 2679 | 30.1 |
| Aug | 2883 | 2576 | 2680 | 40.2 |
| Sep | 2679 | 2373 | 2576 | 180.7 |
| Oct | 2374 | 2068 | 2171 | 461.8 |
| Nov | 2067 | 1762 | 1865 | 592.3 |
| Dec | 1661 | 1457 | 1559 | 853.4 |
| Year | 2883 | 1253 | 2067 | 46218 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 76% | 72% | 2.3 | 10:01 |
| Feb | 76% | 70% | 3.1 | 10:51 |
| Mar | 75% | 61% | 4.5 | 11:52 |
| Apr | 72% | 53% | 5.8 | 13:02 |
| May | 69% | 40% | 6.9 | 14:01 |
| Jun | 67% | 22% | 7.8 | 14:32 |
| Jul | 68% | 14% | 7.7 | 14:19 |
| Aug | 70% | 15% | 6.9 | 13:29 |
| Sep | 69% | 29% | 5.6 | 12:21 |
| Oct | 72% | 50% | 4.0 | 11:13 |
| Nov | 73% | 64% | 2.7 | 10:15 |
| Dec | 75% | 74% | 2.0 | 9:47 |
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 Irákleion is like
The warmest month is August, with an average high of 28 °C83 °F and a low of 25 °C76 °F. The coldest is January, when highs average 15 °C58 °F and lows 12 °C53 °F. There is a clear seasonal cycle, with 13.3 °C23.9 °F between the average temperature of the warmest and the coolest month.
Annual precipitation is moderate at about 462 mm18 in. The wettest three-month stretch is December–February, which brings 54% of the annual total. Months with less than 20 mm0.8 in on average: May–September. The wettest month is January (88 mm3.5 in), the driest is July (3 mm0.1 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 67% in June to 76% in February. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 14%) are typical of July. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 14 km/h (8 mph) in May to 20 km/h (12 mph) in January. Daylight lasts from about 9.8 hours in December to 14.5 hours in June.
Best time to visit Irákleion
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are April–November: average highs of 19 °C66 °F to 28 °C83 °F with 3 mm0.1 in to 59 mm2.3 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 Irákleion
- Winter (December–February) — highs 1558 to 16 °C61 °F, lows 1253 to 14 °C57 °F, about 83 mm3.3 in of precipitation a month. Pack long sleeves, a sweater and a medium jacket.
- Spring (March–May) — highs 1661 to 23 °C73 °F, lows 1355 to 18 °C64 °F, about 26 mm1.0 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
- Summer (June–August) — highs 2679 to 28 °C83 °F, lows 2271 to 25 °C76 °F, about 4 mm0.2 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
- Autumn (September–November) — highs 2067 to 26 °C79 °F, lows 1762 to 23 °C73 °F, about 41 mm1.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light layers — T-shirts plus a light sweater or jacket.
How Irákleion compares
Compared with Athens, about 321 km to the northwest, Irákleion is on average 1.2 °C2.2 °F warmer and receives 8% less precipitation (462 mm18 in vs 500 mm20 in). The difference is largest in December (3.7 °C6.6 °F warmer).
Of the 6 places in Greece covered by World Climates, Irákleion is the warmest by annual mean temperature and the 6th 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: Casablanca (Morocco, Csa), Mostaganem (Algeria, Csa) and Rabat (Morocco, Csa).
Nearby places
- Athens 321 km · 18 °C65 °F · 500 mm20 in
- Peristéri 326 km · 18 °C65 °F · 500 mm20 in
- Darnah 367 km · 21 °C69 °F · 285 mm11 in
- Aydın 369 km · 19 °C65 °F · 685 mm27 in
- Tobruk 377 km · 20 °C68 °F · 201 mm7.9 in
- İzmir 386 km · 17 °C63 °F · 646 mm25 in
- Bornova 397 km · 17 °C63 °F · 636 mm25 in
- Nazilli 404 km · 18 °C65 °F · 685 mm27 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Irákleion?
August is the warmest month in Irákleion, with an average high of 28 °C (83 °F) and an average low of 25 °C (76 °F).
What is the coldest month in Irákleion?
January is the coldest month, with an average high of 15 °C (58 °F) and an average low of 12 °C (53 °F).
When does it rain the most in Irákleion?
January is the wettest month with about 88 mm (3.5 in) of precipitation; July is the driest with about 3 mm (0.1 in).
What is the best time to visit Irákleion?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are April–November.
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.