Greece: The Hottest and Coldest Days in 2024

Hottest and Coldest Days of 2024

• Hottest Day:

  The June 13 was officially the hottest day of the year, with temperatures soaring to a blistering 44°C in areas like Nea Filadelfeia in Attica, on Milos, Kranidi a town in the Peloponnese, and Agioi Pantes, an islet of Crete. Other regions, such as Sparta and Chania, recorded 43°C, while temperatures in Elliniko, a southern Athens suburb reached 42°C.
  At the 850hPa level in the atmosphere, temperatures reached an unprecedented 27.2°C, indicating an extreme heatwave.

• Coldest Day:
  On the other end of the spectrum, January 22 was the coldest day of the year, with temperatures plummeting to -19°C in Florina in northwestern Macedonia. Kastoria and Kozani in western Macedonia followed, recording -12°C and -10°C, respectively. At the 850hPa level, the temperature was recorded at -6.1°C, underscoring the intensity of the cold front that swept across northern Greece.

December’s Weather Highlights

While much of 2024 experienced lower-than-average rainfall, December broke the dry spell, delivering precipitation levels significantly above the monthly norm and marking the wettest month of the year in several areas.

• Rainfall in December:
  The Athens Observatory recorded 93.6mm of rain throughout the month, with the most significant rainfall occurring overnight from December 25th to 26th, when 42mm was measured at Athens’ International Airport.
• Temperature Variations in Athens:
  The warmest day of the month in Athens was December 10th, with a maximum temperature of 21°C. In stark contrast, December 28th recorded the coldest high temperature of the month, at just 10°C.
• Rainfall Deficit:
  The first quarter of 2024 (January to March) experienced below-average rainfall levels across Greece. A prolonged dry spell followed from April to November, particularly affecting the Attica Peninsula.