Rethymno in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Rethymno sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 285 mm of precipitation over about 40 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 13°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Rethymno's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rethymno's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Precipitation
- 285 mm
- 40 wet days
- Avg wind
- 9 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.4
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Rethymno in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 13°C.
A typical winter day in Rethymno reaches about 13°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Rethymno weather by month
How the three winter months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13° / 8° | 97 | 14.1 | 0.5 | 9.9 | 3.2 |
| Feb | 13° / 8° | 87 | 12.3 | 0.6 | 10.7 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 14° / 9° | 62 | 9.5 | 0.2 | 11.7 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 17° / 12° | 34 | 6 | 0 | 12.9 | 6.5 |
| May | 22° / 15° | 23 | 3.7 | 0 | 13.8 | 8.2 |
| Jun | 26° / 19° | 6 | 1.3 | 0 | 14.3 | 9.1 |
| Jul | 27° / 22° | 3 | 0.6 | 0 | 14.1 | 9.0 |
| Aug | 28° / 22° | 3 | 0.7 | 0 | 13.3 | 8.9 |
| Sep | 26° / 20° | 17 | 2.8 | 0 | 12.2 | 8.7 |
| Oct | 22° / 16° | 48 | 6.4 | 0 | 11.1 | 7.6 |
| Nov | 18° / 13° | 69 | 9.6 | 0 | 10.1 | 5.8 |
| Dec | 14° / 10° | 101 | 13.7 | 0.1 | 9.7 | 3.8 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 23% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Rethymno gets around 285 mm of rain and snow over 40 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 9 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 48 min in early December to 11 h 06 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.8 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Rethymno
In winter, Rethymno overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Rethymno's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Rethymno sees seasonal dust haze (May), heaviest in May.
Is winter a good time to visit Rethymno?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Rethymno.
What to pack for Rethymno in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Rethymno sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 8°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer. About 40 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rethymno in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 17°C across winter — 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 26°C and coldest in February near 16°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 25 to Nov 24 — about 6 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 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 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 | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 21 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Rethymno in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rethymno peaks around July 13 at about 10 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 11 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 | 8 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 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 | 8 | Very high |
| Jun | 10 | Very high |
| Jul | 10 | Very high |
| Aug | 10 | Very high |
| Sep | 8 | Very high |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 3 | Moderate |
Air quality in Rethymno in Winter
Average fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) through the year — so you can see where winter falls, not just the annual average.
Air quality in Rethymno is worst in April — around 15 µg/m³ PM2.5 (moderate), about 2.0× the cleanest month (September, 8 µg/m³).
Modeled monthly averages (CAMS reanalysis, 2015–2024).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | 11 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Level | Good | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good |
| PM2.5 (µg/m³) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Good |
| Feb | 14 | Moderate |
| Mar | 14 | Moderate |
| Apr | 15 | Moderate |
| May | 12 | Good |
| Jun | 9 | Good |
| Jul | 9 | Good |
| Aug | 10 | Good |
| Sep | 8 | Good |
| Oct | 8 | Good |
| Nov | 11 | Good |
| Dec | 8 | Good |
Where is Rethymno?
Rethymno sits at 35.4°N, 24.5°E, 14 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Chania, 44 km away.
Topography around Rethymno
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Rethymno.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Rethymno has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 329 m around an average of 64 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 842 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,432 m.
The land around Rethymno is covered by water (44%) and trees (29%) within 3 km, water (47%), trees (25%) and grassland (21%) within 16 km, and water (66%) 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 Rethymno (35.3655°, 24.4823°, elevation 14 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.