Weather - is it windy

[hewhoiscool]

Hi Everyone,

I'm off to plakias for the first time this year, and have had some friends just come back saying that the wind was unbearable (they actually changed resorts after 3 days!!!) - does anyone have any experience of it or were my friends just being lame?

also does anyone know any good sites to check the weather for plakias and suggestions for the best bar/disco?

Cheers

[Mike G]

also does anyone know any good sites to check the weather for plakias and suggestions for the best bar/disco?

Cheers

Hello hewhoiscool,

I always use Yahoo where there is a 10 day forecast giving temperatures and wind speed/direction. See
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/busi...0030?dp=windsdp which is for Heraklion.

Bear in mind that the gorges funnel and accentuate the wind at Plakias and that it is sometimes windier there than on the north coast.

Mike

[Susan K]

I like Weather Underground

The best bar/disco is Ostracos where many of us go to have a drink and a bop at the end of a long hard day    

Susan

[Ali & Dave]

I'm afraid it is still windy.  Woke up this morning to no wind but it had kicked off again by 9am.  Some people find it hard to cope with other don't.  It's not as strong as last week.

I think Ostraco is one of the best bars as well, also like Smerna.  There's only nightclub Finikas which has had a revamp and reopen 2 weeks ago but I haven't been yet.  But the bars stay open until the last people leave, unless the staff drag you off to the nightclub with them!!

Have fun

Ali

[Ploppy]

I like Weather Underground

The best bar/disco is Ostracos where many of us go to have a drink and a bop at the end of a long hard day    

Susan

Yep Weather Uderground is pretty good, they also have a Souda/Chania forecast which may be a little closer.

Weather Underground also have my back garden.  

We like Ostraco & Smerna also for our evenings debauchery!

Paul

[Katerina]

Accuweather
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/world-forecast...on&metric=1
have a 10 day forecast for Rethymnon which is even closer, but they don't give any indication of wind. And in my experience the weather can vary drastically even over such a short distance.
I've heard that it has been windier than usual this year, perhaps the result of long term climate change

[Ploppy]

Accuweather
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/world-forecast...on&metric=1
have a 10 day forecast for Rethymnon which is even closer, but they don't give any indication of wind. And in my experience the weather can vary drastically even over such a short distance.
I've heard that it has been windier than usual this year, perhaps the result of long term climate change

Thats right, the weather can be extremely localized, especially the wind when you factor in the terrain, i.e being coastal and the gorges around Plakias. Any wind forecast from the North coast is not going to be accurate at all when it comes to Plakias.

We don't mind the wind too much but sometimes it can be a little frustrating, especially for Marge who wont go in the sea unless its like a pond  

[Nero]

I'm just back from two weeks during which we motored around various villages on the south coast. We had only three days when the wind dropped below gale force and generally we found it to be windier the further west you went, not only was the car physically being moved over the road at times but I was blown over twice. We found Matala to be the most sheltered, Plakias was pretty bad but not as bad as Agios Pavlos. I don't recall it being like this last year, although I believe this weather system is known as a Meltemi ?

[Rowena & Carl]

Hi Yes it can be blowing a storm in Plakias but in the Rethymno dead calm! We went to Korakas Beach in Rodakino and it was less windy there & very queit but the drive there was extremley windy we did it on a scooter but would only reccomend in a car in that wind! Also no one has mentioned the beach bar the first one before palimgremnos. Alot of locals go there & we were still there at 5.30 one morning, it's also more sheltered than you think from the wind.

Rowena & Carl

Hi Yes it can be blowing a storm in Plakias but in the Rethymno dead calm! We went to Korakas Beach in Rodakino and it was less windy there & very queit but the drive there was extremley windy we did it on a scooter but would only reccomend in a car in that wind! Also no one has mentioned the beach bar the first one before palimgremnos. Alot of locals go there & we were still there at 5.30 one morning, it's also more sheltered than you think from the wind.

Rowena & Carl

[hewhoiscool]

Hi All,

Many thanks for your responses - really useful!!.......i'm actually going to plakias for the first 2 weeks in september, fingers crossed the weather would have moved into "no wind" mode but i do like a lot of windsurfing so things might not be too bad (does anyone know if there are local hiring places for windsurfers?).

hope to see some of you at the bars suggested

roll on september

Nick

[Rowena & Carl]

Hi All,

Many thanks for your responses - really useful!!.......i'm actually going to plakias for the first 2 weeks in september, fingers crossed the weather would have moved into "no wind" mode but i do like a lot of windsurfing so things might not be too bad (does anyone know if there are local hiring places for windsurfers?).

hope to see some of you at the bars suggested

roll on september

Nick

Hi Nick

Plakias isn't really a water sport place but the next beach along half hour walk hires out windsurfs at Happimag complex. I assume not just Happimag guests can hire them out maybe look at their web site. One thing I do know is you've got to be good we have watched locals windsurfing in Plakias bay from the Livicon where we stay and the speed they travel at is incredible!! Hope you enjoy your visit wind or not!

[compage]

Our visits to Plakias started in 1991 and we've be there most years since, sometimes more than once.

It is often windy in Plakias.
When it isn't windy it is very windy.

Some people say it's more likely to be windy in July and August than at other times but I can't comment because I've only been there in June and September.
When it is very windy the beach is unusable because everything blows away and the sand becomes airborne.
When it is too windy in Plakias it's often quite comfortable on the north coast which is less than an hour away.
When it is very windy the ferries and excursion boats do not run.
You can not hire pedalos, motor boats or sailing boats in Plakias because there would be too many tourists lost.

Here are some pictures that show how windy it can be in Plakias.

To sum up: If you go to Plakias expect it to be windy.

[Rowena & Carl]

Our visits to Plakias started in 1991 and we've be there most years since, sometimes more than once.

It is often windy in Plakias.
When it isn't windy it is very windy.

Some people say it's more likely to be windy in July and August than at other times but I can't comment because I've only been there in June and September.
When it is very windy the beach is unusable because everything blows away and the sand becomes airborne.
When it is too windy in Plakias it's often quite comfortable on the north coast which is less than an hour away.
When it is very windy the ferries and excursion boats do not run.
You can not hire pedalos, motor boats or sailing boats in Plakias because there would be too many tourists lost.

Here are some pictures that show how windy it can be in Plakias.

To sum up: If you go to Plakias expect it to be windy.

I like the pictures John they do really sum up the Plakias wind! We started visiting in 94 and have only missed 1 year. We now go twice a year with out fail, June & Oct. I have been in August too & the wind is the same as any other time.. as you say if you visit Plakias expect wind. A few years ago in Oct we brought some family we warned them & warned them of the wind & guess what no wind & August temperatures! So i'm sure they don't believe now.

Rowena & Carl

[Mike G]

It is often windy in Plakias.
When it isn't windy it is very windy.

I haven't been to Plakias nearly as many times as John (Compage) or at the same times of year but in May (the only time I've been) it is certainly not always windy, although it sometimes is. I think we had about 4 windy days out of 14 this year and less in other years. If the wind is the Meltemi, made worse by the funnelling effect of the gorges, then in theory it ought to be better in late Sept and October. John R visits then I think so may be able to tell us.

Mind you when it blows it really does. I was climbing Timeos Stavros on a windy day this year and a gust blew me off my feet into a gorse-like bush. Not pleasant.

Mike

[John R]

If the wind is the Meltemi, made worse by the funnelling effect of the gorges, then in theory it ought to be better in late Sept and October. John R visits then I think so may be able to tell us.

It has occasionally been windy in late Sept/October - I think I can remember one year when it blew on many days but perhaps not as savage as it would seem at some times mid Summer. In the main it has not been too windy over the course of our visits at that time of year every year since 1998

We have always had a car and when it has been windy there has been virtually no wind not very distant from Plakias. Rodakina beach being a good example.

John R