The meltemi is the summer wind of the Aegean. The ancient Greeks called it Etesian, from etos, "year", because it returns every summer. It blows from the north, dry and clear, and turns the sky over the Cyclades an intense blue.
Why it forms
In summer high pressure builds over the Balkans and eastern Europe, while hot air over Anatolia and the Middle East creates low pressure. Air flows from one to the other across the Aegean, and the channels between islands and mountains speed it up.
When and where
It starts in May, peaks in July and August and dies away in September. It can last from a few days to more than a week at a time. It is often stronger in the afternoon and drops in the evening, but on full meltemi days it blows at night too. The most exposed areas are the Cyclades (Mykonos, Tinos, Andros, Naxos, Paros), the Kafireas Strait between Euboea and Andros, the Dodecanese and the east coast of Attica.
| Beaufort | Speed | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 11-16 knots | Fresh breeze, pleasant on the beach |
| 5-6 | 17-27 knots | Typical meltemi: choppy sea, whitecaps |
| 7-8 | 28-40 knots | Strong meltemi: small fast ferries may stay in port |
In practice
- Ferries: hydrofoils and fast catamarans are the first to be cancelled; large ships usually sail, in rough seas. In summer leave a day's margin before your flight home.
- Beaches: north-facing beaches become unpleasant; choose those on the islands' south coasts.
- Sailing and windsurfing: a challenge for sailors but paradise for windsurfers and kitesurfers, for example on Paros and Naxos.
- Fires: strong dry wind makes summer fires far harder to put out.
Name and myth
The name meltemi is used on both sides of the Aegean (Turkish meltem); its origin is debated. In a myth told by Apollonius of Rhodes, during a terrible drought on the island of Keos, modern Kea, the hero Aristaeus made sacrifices to Zeus and to the star Sirius, and Zeus sent the Etesian winds to cool the islands for forty days each year.
See also the climate of Greece and island ferries.