Rhodes’ climate is typically Mediterranean, with mild winters and hot, very sunny summers characterised by temperatures of 30° or more. It rains quite frequently in winter, while in summer an umbrella is hardly needed.
The meltemi, the typical Greek north-westerly wind, also blows on this island. The east coast is the most heavily beaten, while the east coast is more sheltered. Compared to other Greek islands, e.g. Mikonos or Naxos, the meltemi blows less intensely on Rhodes and offers a pleasant relief from the sultry and sometimes suffocating summer heat.
The best time to go to Rhodes is obviously summer, but if you have the choice, avoid July and August: they are the hottest, the most crowded and the most expensive. Swimming in the sea is generally possible from June to October, so the recommended months for a holiday in Rhodes are early or late summer.
The hottest months of the year in Rhodes are June, September, July and August, when the monthly average temperature reaches 29 °C, while the coldest months of March, January and February the thermometer drops up to 10 °C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max °C | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 27 | 29 | 29 | 27 | 24 | 19 | 16 |
| Min °C | 10 | 10 | 11 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 23 | 24 | 22 | 18 | 14 | 12 |
In Rhodes rainiest months of the year are January and December during which monthly rainfall average reaches 141 mm. On the other side, driest months are September, June, July and August when the average rainfall is reduced to 0 mm per month.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| mm | 135 | 102 | 81 | 35 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 68 | 105 | 141 |
| Days | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 13 |
June, September, July and August are sunniest months of the year. During that months, from sunrise to sunset there are 12 total sunshine hours in Rhodes. In February, January and December sunshine hours are reduced to 4.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 6 | 4 |
Months of the year when sea water is warmer are September and August, average temperature is around 25 °C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| °C | 17 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 18 |