If it felt like winter never truly arrived this year, you weren’t imagining it. According to the latest data from the scientific team at meteo.gr and the National Observatory of Athens, the winter of 2025–2026 has officially gone down as the second warmest ever recorded in Greece since records began in 1960.
This alarming milestone follows a trend of rapidly rising temperatures that is reshaping the Greek climate as we know it.
The Numbers Behind the Heat
The winter period—spanning December 2025, January 2026, and February 2026—was characterized by consistently mild temperatures and significant deviations from normal seasonal values.
Here are the key statistics from the report:
* 86% of the season was warm: Out of the 90 days of winter, a staggering 78 days saw temperatures well above the 1991–2020 climate average.
* The 1.8°C Jump: Since 1960, the average winter temperature in Greece has increased by 1.8°C.
* A Growing Trend: Perhaps most concerning is that four of the six warmest winters in Greek history have occurred within just the last six years.
While the winter of 2023–2024 remains the warmest on record, 2025–2026 has firmly secured the second spot, pushing traditional “cold” winters further into the past.
Brief Cold Snaps and Vanishing Snow
The season wasn’t entirely without cold weather, but the “real” winter was fleeting. Brief periods of lower temperatures were recorded primarily from early to mid-January 2026, but they weren’t enough to offset the overall heat.
The lack of cold had a visible impact on the landscape:
* Low Snow Cover: Snowfall levels were significantly lower than historical averages, leaving many of Greece’s mountain ranges bare during months they are usually white.
* High Rainfall: Interestingly, while it wasn’t cold, it was wet. The winter of 2025–2026 ranks as one of the wettest on record for Greece, though the precipitation fell mostly as rain rather than snow.
What This Means for Greece
The shift toward “spring-like” winters has profound implications for the country. Low snow cover affects water reserves for the coming summer months and impacts the local ski tourism industry. Furthermore, the consistent rise in average temperatures (nearly 2 degrees in 65 years) signals a permanent shift in the regional ecosystem.
As the National Observatory of Athens continues to monitor these trends, more detailed reports on rainfall patterns and snow cover are expected in the coming weeks.
NORMAN 'KRETANER': After more than 20 years on the ‘Island’ and having gained a lot of experience here, CreteTip does not only present you the beautiful holiday (dream) world as most travel or tourist websites do, but the reality, which is often not as colorful as on the glossy photos of the travel portals. Hence, the effort of a long-time inhabitant of the island to provide objective and unbiased reports about sights, excursions and holiday destinations, news, tips and also problems directly from the largest Greek island !
var MailPoetForm = {"ajax_url":"https://www.cretetip.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php","is_rtl":"","ajax_common_error_message":"An error has happened while performing a request, please try again later.","captcha_input_label":"Type in the characters you see in the picture above:","captcha_reload_title":"Reload CAPTCHA","captcha_audio_title":"Play CAPTCHA","assets_url":"https://www.cretetip.com/wp-content/plugins/mailpoet/assets"};
var MailPoetForm = {"ajax_url":"https://www.cretetip.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php","is_rtl":"","ajax_common_error_message":"An error has happened while performing a request, please try again later.","captcha_input_label":"Type in the characters you see in the picture above:","captcha_reload_title":"Reload CAPTCHA","captcha_audio_title":"Play CAPTCHA","assets_url":"https://www.cretetip.com/wp-content/plugins/mailpoet/assets"};
//# sourceURL=mailpoet_public-js-extra
