Recent Crete weather ups and downs have exacerbated an already topsy turvy touristic season on Greece’s biggest island. Unseasonable rains this past winter caused major infrastructure damage, while sizzling European heatwave made Crete holidays on this touristic paradise almost unbearable recently. This week, moderate temperatures and amazing blue skies dominate.
The 10-day extended forecast for weather in Crete calls for high temperatures in the high 20s C (mid-80s F) and lows in the low 20s C (low to mid-70s F). Winds will be steady from the Northwest at 15-17 mph throughout.
The seas around Crete and on the beaches will be slightly choppy in open areas, but calm in sheltered harbors like Matala, Agia Pelagia, and others where chop is almost always non-existent. As you can see on the map from the Hellenic Meteorological Service below, the south coast, in particular, will be mostly calm.
Cloud cover over Crete will dissipate by Saturday afternoon and remain clear for the extended forecast. The relative humidity for the next 10 days will hover around 60%, and the UV index will be between 5 and 6 according to Weather Online’s Chania forecasting. Sunrise for Saturday was at 05:07, and sunset will be at 21:06.
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake that shook Athens yesterday produced little or no damage and was followed by only minor aftershocks. This USGS report details this event. This quake was only days after a similar one offshore of Heraklion shook residents and tourists.