Zakynthos in Winter
In winter (December, January and February), Zakynthos sees average daytime highs around 14°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 459 mm of rain over about 41 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Over the season highs ease from about 17°C in early December to 14°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Zakynthos's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Zakynthos's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 14°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 459 mm
- 41 wet days
- Avg wind
- 21 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.9
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Zakynthos in Winter
Over the season highs ease from about 17°C in early December to 14°C by late February.
A typical winter day in Zakynthos reaches about 14°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is December, the coolest February.
Zakynthos 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 | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 14° / 12° | 162 | 13.9 | 9.7 | 3.7 |
| Feb | 14° / 12° | 116 | 12.1 | 10.5 | 3.8 |
| Mar | 15° / 12° | 82 | 9.9 | 11.7 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 17° / 15° | 41 | 6.2 | 12.9 | 6.0 |
| May | 20° / 18° | 18 | 3.7 | 14 | 7.7 |
| Jun | 23° / 22° | 11 | 1.4 | 14.6 | 9.1 |
| Jul | 25° / 24° | 6 | 0.5 | 14.3 | 9.5 |
| Aug | 26° / 25° | 6 | 1 | 13.5 | 9.1 |
| Sep | 25° / 23° | 66 | 6.6 | 12.3 | 8.1 |
| Oct | 22° / 20° | 114 | 8.9 | 11 | 7.2 |
| Nov | 19° / 16° | 181 | 12.6 | 10 | 5.7 |
| Dec | 15° / 13° | 181 | 14.8 | 9.4 | 4.3 |
Cloud cover in Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 36% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Zakynthos gets around 459 mm of rain over 41 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 21 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min in early December to 11 hours 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 2.5 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Zakynthos
In winter, Zakynthos overlaps its rainy season season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.
Zakynthos's rainy season runs October–March, when most of the year's rain falls.
Is winter a good time to visit Zakynthos?
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 Zakynthos.
What to pack for Zakynthos in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Zakynthos sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 12°C. Pack rain gear. Worth having: a warm layer and a windbreaker. About 41 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Zakynthos in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 16°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 March near 15°C.
It's comfortable for a long swim from May 27 to Nov 20 — 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 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 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 | 15 | Cool |
| Mar | 15 | Cool |
| Apr | 16 | Cool |
| May | 19 | Cool |
| Jun | 22 | Refreshing |
| Jul | 25 | Warm |
| Aug | 26 | Warm |
| Sep | 25 | Warm |
| Oct | 23 | Refreshing |
| Nov | 20 | Refreshing |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Zakynthos in Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 2. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Zakynthos peaks around August 12 at about 9 (very high) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near January 10 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 2 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Level | Low | Moderate | High | Very high | High | Very high | Very high | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2 | Low |
| Feb | 3 | Moderate |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 7 | Very high |
| May | 7 | High |
| Jun | 9 | Very high |
| Jul | 9 | Very high |
| Aug | 9 | Very high |
| Sep | 7 | High |
| Oct | 5 | Moderate |
| Nov | 3 | Moderate |
| Dec | 2 | Low |
Where is Zakynthos?
Zakynthos sits at 37.8°N, 20.9°E, 0 m above sea level, in Greece. The nearest listed city is Amaliáda, 40 km away.
Topography around Zakynthos
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Zakynthos.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Zakynthos has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 194 m around an average of 16 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 737 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,904 m.
The land around Zakynthos is covered by water (30%), trees (29%) and grassland (23%) within 3 km, water (66%) and trees (21%) within 16 km, and water (73%) 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 Zakynthos (37.7802°, 20.8956°, elevation 0 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.