What's the weather like in Halkidiki?
You’re in for a treat when you book a holiday to Halkidiki. It’s a region of mainland Greece that thrives on the best of Greek culture, and because it’s only recently been spruced up for tourism, everything feels new and fresh.
The three fingers, as the trio of peninsulas reaching into the Aegean Sea are known, offer fine wines, crisp white buildings and, of course, infinitely sunny beaches. To make sure you get the most of the sunshine, it’s worth brushing up on some knowledge about the weather in Halkidiki before your trip to help you make the most of it.
Your Halkidiki summer is heating up
Although you might assume that a trip to Halkidiki could see less sunshine than one to Crete or Corfu, due to the region of Greece being further north than those islands in the sun, it’s pleasing to note that temperatures here are usually high.
That’s especially true in the summer months, which naturally form Halkidiki’s high season as far as tourists go. Starting from June, where temperatures begin surpassing an average 26°C every year, you can expect the mercury to continue rising, hitting its stride with heat upwards of 30°C during July and August.
September is the dark horse here, as it keeps things heated up even as autumn sets in. In fact, at an average 24°C year on year in Halkidiki, that month is often a great compromise for those of us looking to soak up the rays but sidestep the crowds.
Sunshine all year round
Much like the rest of Greece and the wider Mediterranean, Halkidiki doesn’t have the same frosty winters and rainy springtimes you might be used to at home. That makes for sublime autumn escapes and winter breaks, and the temperatures you can expect at those times makes for very happy reading.
October and November tend to hover around a healthy 15°C to 20°C, and even December is a surprisingly welcoming 12°C. January and February see temperatures tumble into single digits, but only barely, with an average 9°C every year. Come March, April and May, averages hop, skip and jump from 13°C on average to 16°C and 20°C respectively.
If your aim is to see the sunlight for as long as Halkidiki makes possible, July is hands down the victor.
While June and August boast 12 hours of solid sunshine daily, July takes the cake with 13 hours of sunlight every day on average, year on year. It’s a far cry from the roulette wheel of rain and shine we’re used to at home.
Water water, everywhere
In essence, rainfall in Halkidiki follows the same monthly trends as back home. Cooler months towards the back end of the calendar see the most rain, with late November into early December, averaging 12 millimetres, being the real showstopper there.
To avoid the rain, it’s July once again where the real action is, with pristine blue skies and nary a drop in sight. That said, May through September all offer respectably low chances of rain, with little more than a couple of millimetres set to fall, if at all.
For getting wet the more preferable way, some knowledge on the sea temperatures surrounding those sumptuous Halkidiki beaches is smart to pick up. In that case, look no further than August for the most sublime swimming temperatures, when seawater averages 25°C.
The water around the coast stays above 20°C on average from May through to October, and the rest of the year it’s still a balmy 15°C even in the coldest months. You’ll never catch a chill paddling in Halkidiki.