Thessaloniki, Greece's second city, sits at the head of the Thermaic Gulf in the north of the country, on the Aegean coast of Macedonia at approximately 40.64°N, 22.94°E. Its northerly position gives it a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa) with a continental edge — hot, dry summers and cool, wetter winters — with colder winters and a wider temperature range than southern Greece.

Summer, from June to September, is hot, dry and sunny, with July and August the hottest months — average highs around 31–33°C — and heatwaves that can exceed 40°C, made humid by the shallow gulf. Rain is scarce, arriving mainly as rare, sometimes violent thunderstorms, and the sea breeze offers relief on the waterfront; long, cloudless days dominate.

Winter, from December to February, is cool and the wettest season, with January the coolest month — average highs around 9–10°C and lows near 1–2°C, with frost frequent on clear nights and occasional snow, unlike milder southern Greece. Cold outbreaks of continental air from the Balkans can bring genuinely cold, grey, damp spells.

Thessaloniki is dry, receiving only around 450–480 mm of rain a year, spread with an autumn and late-spring emphasis and a nearly rainless midsummer; its position in northern Greece keeps totals modest but gives it a wetter, colder winter than Athens. Live rainfall, humidity, and pressure readings for the city are shown in the panels above.

Thessaloniki's northerly, continental-influenced position makes it noticeably colder in winter than Athens or the Greek islands, with frost and occasional snow — a real winter by Mediterranean standards. Its most distinctive wind is the Vardaris, a cold, dry northerly that funnels down the Axios valley, scouring the gulf and sharply dropping temperatures, most often in winter.

To follow any single measurement in Thessaloniki more closely, use our live instruments: the online barometer for atmospheric pressure, the thermometer for temperature, the hygrometer for humidity, the anemometer for wind speed, the wind vane for wind direction, and the rain gauge for rainfall.