Heraklion in Spring
In spring (March, April and May), Heraklion sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 121 mm of rain over about 18 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 16°C in early March to 26°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Heraklion's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Heraklion's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 121 mm
- 18 wet days
- Avg wind
- 8 km/h
- Travel score
- 7.1
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Heraklion in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 16°C in early March to 26°C by late May.
A typical spring day in Heraklion reaches about 20°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is May, the coolest March.
Heraklion weather by month
How the three spring months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14° / 8° | 68 | 12 | 9.9 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 14° / 8° | 64 | 10.5 | 10.7 | 4.2 |
| Mar | 17° / 9° | 54 | 8.3 | 11.7 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 20° / 11° | 36 | 5.6 | 12.9 | 7.3 |
| May | 25° / 15° | 31 | 4.3 | 13.8 | 8.3 |
| Jun | 28° / 19° | 13 | 1.9 | 14.3 | 7.9 |
| Jul | 30° / 21° | 5 | 0.7 | 14.1 | 7.2 |
| Aug | 29° / 22° | 6 | 0.7 | 13.3 | 7.2 |
| Sep | 27° / 19° | 19 | 2.9 | 12.2 | 8.1 |
| Oct | 24° / 16° | 38 | 5.9 | 11.1 | 7.8 |
| Nov | 19° / 12° | 45 | 7.1 | 10.1 | 6.6 |
| Dec | 15° / 9° | 64 | 11.3 | 9.7 | 4.5 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 53% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Heraklion gets around 121 mm of rain over 18 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 8 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 12 min in early March to 14 h 12 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 6.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Heraklion
In spring, Heraklion overlaps its dust season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Heraklion sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is spring a good time to visit Heraklion?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is one of the better times to visit Heraklion for general sightseeing.
What to pack for Heraklion in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Heraklion sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 12°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes, a warm layer and rain gear. About 18 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Heraklion in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across spring — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.
The sea offshore is warmest in August at about 25°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 19 — about 5.9 months when the water holds above 20°C.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 16 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Refreshing | Warm | Warm | Warm | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 16 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 17 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 23 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 25 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Heraklion in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 7 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Heraklion peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 3 (moderate).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 |
| Level | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | Moderate |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 8 | Very high |
| May | 7 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 4 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Where is Heraklion?
Heraklion sits at 35.3°N, 25.1°E, 60 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Rethymno, 60 km away.
Topography around Heraklion
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Heraklion.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Heraklion has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 188 m around an average of 49 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 822 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,433 m.
The land around Heraklion is covered by artificial surfaces (53%) within 3 km, water (39%), trees (27%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and water (69%) within 80 km.
Greece travel facts
- Travel advisory
- Level 1
- Exercise Normal Precautions
- Power plugs
- Type C / F
- 230 V · 50 Hz
- Prices
- ≈ 60% of US
- price level, 2025
- GDP per capita
- $26,948
- 2025
- Happiness
- 5.7 / 10
- World Happiness, 2025
- Safe drinking water
- 97%
- of population, 2024
- Homicide rate
- 0.8
- per 100k, 2023
- Road deaths
- 8.3
- per 100k/yr, 2019
- Income group
- High
- World Bank
- English
- High
- EF EPI 592
- Religion
Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.
Data sources
Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Heraklion (35.3279°, 25.1434°, elevation 60 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google.