Crete records over 80mm of rain in Chania during three-day period, meteo.gr data show
Crete recorded significant rainfall between Tuesday, September 15, and Thursday, September 17, with the heaviest totals measured in Chania and Lasithi, according to data from meteo.gr and the National Observatory of Athens.
Rainfall in Kolympari, Chania, exceeded 80 millimetres over the three-day period, while Tzermiado, on the Lasithi plateau, reached 70 millimetres, the data show. The figures come from a network of 65 weather stations that meteo.gr and the National Observatory of Athens operate across the island.
Observatory director presents the data
Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the National Observatory of Athens, presented the figures, saying significant rainfall occurred in Crete over the Tuesday-to-Thursday period. He said a map showing the geographic distribution of rainfall from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon was compiled from the 65-station network operated by meteo.gr and the National Observatory of Athens on the island. According to Lagouvardos, total rainfall exceeded 80 millimetres in areas of Chania, including Kolympari, and reached 70 millimetres on the Lasithi plateau, at Tzermiado.
Thursday’s daily totals
Thursday, September 17, produced particularly notable rainfall on its own. Tzermiado, in Lasithi, recorded the highest daily total at 53 millimetres, followed by Potamoi in Lasithi with 38 millimetres and Argyroupoli in Rethymno with 33 millimetres.
Neapoli in Lasithi logged 30 millimetres, while Asi Gonia in Chania recorded 21 millimetres. Adele and Roustika, both in Rethymno, each recorded 18 millimetres, according to meteo.gr.
The uneven distribution across the island echoes longer-term patterns. A recent study found that western Crete generally receives far more rainfall than the east, a pattern reflected in the higher totals recorded in Chania during this three-day period.
Strong wind gusts recorded
Strong winds accompanied the rainfall in several parts of the island. On Thursday, the maximum gust reached 77 km/h in Marou, Rethymno, while gusts in Plakias, also in Rethymno, reached 71 km/h, according to meteo.gr.
These gusts follow a broader pattern seen this season. Earlier this year, wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h in Crete’s Lasithi and Rethymno regions, according to separate meteo.gr data.
Looking ahead, forecasters expect conditions to shift following this rainy spell. According to a separate meteorologist’s outlook, Crete’s rain is expected to ease as temperatures climb toward 32°C this weekend, before a colder shift arrives next week.
