Climate

The morphology of the landscape and the location of Crete in the center of the Mediterranean have a direct effect on the climate of the prefecture of Chania which is characterized as temperate Mediterranean and particularly dry with sunlight 70% of the year. Winter is mild and the climate from November to March is characterized as cold, but not frosty with frequent showers. A white carpet of snow may often be seen covering the peaks of the White Mountain range at the beginning of November that lasts until the end of May but rarely will it be observed in the plains.

The weather in April is sweet and pleasant and few are the times when the sunlight is suddenly replaced by light rain. In October it rarely rains, the weather is still warm and mild and a dip in the sea is still a pleasant one. May and September are usually sunny, but not excessively warm. The summer however is quite hot and arid with June and July being the hottest months of the year and without rainfall. In the semi mountainous and mountainous regions of the prefecture the temperatures are lower, whereas in the southern coast and in the inland plains it is higher by a few degrees.

Another important characteristic of the region is the fact that the sea temperatures in the southern coast during the winter are almost the same as the sea temperatures in northern Europe in the summer. Consequently, winter swimming has gained in popularity in recent years.

The morphology, geography and the climate make for an idyllic land where nature's balance reigns and monotony is conspicuous only by its absence. It combines the tall, unscalable and harsh mountain ranges with the fertile plains, the large ports with the quaint bays, the bustling north with the serene south, the peninsula with the sea, the snow and the rain with the abundant sunlight. A land which could indisputably be characterized as "the island of the Makares" or "paradise" according to the ancient Greeks.