First off, we need to know the difference between Climate and weather. Climate is the weather patterns that is to be expected year in and year out. Weather on the other hand, is on the day to day basis, of sunshine, temperature, percipitation (like rain or snow) and atmospheric pressure.
What affects climate and weather in Greece?
Greece has many things that effect its climate and weather. The major things that effect weather in Greece are it's many mountians, the amount of direct sunlight it gets, and that it is surrounded by a big body of water ,the Mediterranean Sea .
What is Greece's Climate?
All of Greece has pretty much the same overall climate,and it has hardly changed from ancient times. Greece's Macroclimate is called Dry Summer Subtropical,or Meditteranean. Macroclimate means that it is the general climate that covers a large area.This Dry Summer Subtropical means that ,summers are long, hot, and dry and it usually stays that way with little rain fall for three to four months. Winters are short, and mildly wet, it is also the wettest during this season. Spring and autumn are the shortest seasons because it either rains or it's hot. If it does happen to rain in the summer, it rains quickly in the morning and is hot and dry in the afternoon, just enough time to go to the beach. But this does not mean that nothing else happens, Greece has Microclimates. Microclimates are small areas that have the same climate and weather patterns.
What are Greece's MicroClimates?
Greece has four different Microclimates they are:
In Greece there is a lot of sea shore since the counrty is surrounded by the sea. So this microclimate goes all away around the country. It also , as the name says it is low, not a mountianous area. The temperature in this zone rarely sees big changes , because the water nearby moderates temperature change. This area hardly ever sees frost, or snow, the only thing it gets is the rain. Warm temperatures , and sunny skies is the main forcast during the summer. In the winter, mild rains off and on, with mild to warm temperatures.Athens is in this zone, want to see what it is like there now Athens Weather Info and compare. See average daily temp. in Athens.
THis zone also makes up alot of the Greek area, since Greece is a country full of mountians, even the islands around Greece have mountians. Mountians add new things to the macroclimate, for Greece; the main one is snow. Yes is snows in teh winter time in Greece, some mountian peaks have snow all year round. This zone, also sees alot more rain than other parts of Greece, the wind side of the mountian anyway. This is because clouds have to rise to get over the mountains, but when they do they cool down. This cooling down makes the water in the air to form bigger water droplets, and then bigger, till rain falls. After the cloud loses weight :^) it is able to get over the mountain. This area also experences bigger temperature changes because of wind,and elevation it is a mountian after all.( make link to geography)Halkidi and Mt.Athos ("The Holy Mountain")
As the geography suggests, this microclimate is within the mountain peaks. These areas are isolated throughout the country of Greece. They experience more rain , do to there mountain neighbors, but have less extreme cold. Often these areas are protected by winds, and major storms and have a richer four season year.
This is the last area that has a microclimate in Greece. Being farther north , this area has more seasonal change. This area is away form the Mediterranean , so it has greater changes in temperature as well. It is also closer to the Jet Stream( a river of air that directs major storms) So it will sometimes feel the affects of say a storm that came form the Atlantic Ocean. Over all, this area is generally a little cooler than the southern parts, because it does not get as much direct sunlight.
To see how weather affects people ,Soil ,plants, and animals, use these links.
Quiz time, see what you have learned.
Here is what the average daily temperature is like in Athens
(Fahrenheit):
January: 55
Febuary: 57
March: 60
April: 68
May: 77
June: 86
July: 92
August: 92
September: 84
October: 75
November: 66
December: 58
Resources used, bibliography
Other interesting pictures.
