Today's weather for Lesbos, Greece24th Jul 2008 05:20

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Weather Overview for Lesbos

Lesbos is the eighth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and it’s the third largest of the Greek Islands, after Crete and Evia. Although an extremely attractive, large island Lesbos (or Lesvos as its often called) has been left relatively unscathed by the tourism masses that have trampled some of the more popular Greek holiday resorts. This also contributes to the island being significantly cheaper than many other Greek islands.

Located in the north eastern Aegean Sea, Lesbos enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate of long hot summers and mild winters. The average temperature on the island sits at a comfortable 18 degrees and it records about 750mm of annual rainfall. 

Year round the climate is generally moderate and enjoyable, temperature extremes really only occur in the height of summer and winter rarely sees temperatures that are extremely low. Lesbos is also known to be one of the sunniest islands in all of the Aegean.

Because of the size of the island and the presence of two large mountain ranges in the north and centre of the island, this means that the weather conditions can vary across the different regions of the island.

Lesbos has many things to offer than other islands don’t. While the Greek Islands are a great summer getaway to lie on the beach and soak up some rays, Lesbos has offers an array of different activities.

The island is the route of migrating European birds coming from Africa so as a result as an amazing variety of birds, making it a bird lovers paradise, particularly if you are visiting in the Springtime.

Spring also seems the islands wildflowers abloom offering incredible color displays and an amazing springtime ambience. Lesbos has been appropriately termed the ‘Emerald Island’ in honor of its luxuriant landscape.

The islands plays host to countless beaches, some will may excellent day trips and some are great to stay for a few days and take in the relaxing island lifestyle. Petra and Molyvos in the north; Plomari in the northwest and Eresos southwest coasts are the most popular coastal towns, and the islands capital of Mytilene in the south east is the nearest city to the international airport.

 

Summer

Summer on the island begins during May and carries on right through until October. In the peak of summer during July and August, the barometer can peak at 35 to 40 degrees Celsius. The temperature will often maintain above 30 degrees for the 6 months mid year.

 
The heat in the height of summer can sometimes be suffocating, so if you are not fond of temperatures in excess of 40 degrees then plan to visit the island in June or September. The heat is not as stifling and the peak summer prices will have weaned slightly so this is an added benefit.

 
May and June see an average daily temperature of 20 and 24 degrees respectively, while July and August each see an average of 26 degrees, before falling to 23 degrees by September. Keep in mind that these averages may be mildly misleading as the island is cooled in the evenings by the local sea breeze, so the overall averages take these cooling systems into account. This evening sea breeze brings with it a welcome break from the sometimes scorching summer highs.

 
Rain during the months of June to August is basically nonexistent, with only about 12 mm precipitation recorded across the 3 months. September typically records about 11mm rainfall, and the shoulder months of May and October see 21mm and 38mm respectively.

 
The island is scattered with many award winning beaches, ranging from the larger more populated beaches of Petra down to the tiny, usually empty beaches of Campo Antissa beneath the mountain ranges. So you can take your pick of many beaches to escape from the heat. In Lesbos the water temperature is generally about 5-10 degrees cooler than the air temperature, so may seem chilly at first but proves to be extremely refreshing.

 

Winter

Winters in Lesbos don’t get particularly cold, especially on the coast. As you head up the mountain ranges to higher altitudes however, temperatures drop and snow fall is often recorded. The snow very rarely survives into the low lying coastal towns, and the average temperature throughout December is 12 degrees before falling to 10 degrees by January and February.

 
Winter is the islands rainy season, with rainfall is at its peak throughout December.  November, January and February also record sufficient rainfall, with January being the second wettest month after December. There is generally no more than 5 days of steady rainfall in row, so although the season is termed the ‘wet season’ this shouldn’t be a deterrent as sunny weather is still plentiful.

 
Many Greek Islands basically close down completely for the winter and become a bit of a ghost town.  Café’s close, accommodation is scarce if existent at all and they bear little resemblance to the buzzing, thriving tourist centers that they once were in the peak of summer. Because Lesbos is a large island with bigger cities that doesn’t rely solely on tourism it is still a great place to visit in the winter.

 
Winter is olive-picking season in Greece and it is said that the best olives in the world come from Lesbos, so make the most of the islands 11 million olive trees and take a trip in the winter.

 
Lesbos is also famed for its large variety of birds and wildlife, so winter is a great time to take part in bird watching and to explore the breathtaking natural side of the island.

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