Climate

Athens has a hot-summer Mediterranean Climate. The dominant feature of Athens’ climate is an alternation between prolonged hot and dry summers and mild winters with moderate rainfall. With an average of 416.8 millimeters (16.41 in) of yearly precipitation, rainfall occurs largely between the months of October and April. July and August are the driest months, when thunderstorms occur sparsely once or twice a month.

Owing to the rain shadow of the Pindus Mountains, annual precipitation of Athens is lower than most other parts of Greece, especially western Greece. As an example, Ioannina receives around 1,300 mm per year, and Agrinio around 800 mm per year. Daily average highs for July (1988–2017) have been measured at 34.4 ° C, but some parts of the city may be even hotter, in particular, western areas due to a combination of industrialization and a number of natural factors, knowledge of which has existed since the mid-19th century