Погода: Скиатос, сентябрь

Regulars call September a step down from July and August with only the sea holding its ground, and they stress that the step happens inside the month: the first fortnight is usually lovely, the water warm and the mainland and Italian holidaymakers already gone, while later it turns windy enough to cancel boat trips. The meltemi is the mechanism - two or three days of gale at a time, sometimes with rain and a high sea - and it comes from the north, so the southern beaches, the ones the bus serves, are the sheltered choice on a bad day. Our row reads 24.5C air over a 24.7C sea with a 26.3 kph average wind. The record: 86.9mm across only 5 days, 10.6 hours of sun and AQI 48.

Regulars are specific this counts as the traditional transition month from spring into summer here, earlier May in particular the more unpredictable stretch, a mix of sunny, cloudy and rainy days all realistic within the same week. Our row backs that mild, genuinely dry read, 19.4C over 17.4C nights feeling 16C, with rain minimal at 33.2mm across 5.1 days and a real 23.9 kph wind. Regulars are consistent any rain, even a thundery burst, mostly arrives in the evening or overnight and blows across the island fairly quickly rather than settling in for a full day. Evenings turn genuinely chilly even after a warm, sunny afternoon. The sea sits at a still-nippy 17.3C. The record: 12.2 hours of sun, humidity 78 percent and AQI 50.

Regulars describe a real split within the month: it hangs onto summer at the start but turns unapologetically autumnal by the end, with one visitor's October 1st trip bringing lovely days and cold nights while another's cousin arriving on the 7th found things winding down fast, rain five days out of seven. Our row backs the average across that swing, 20.7C over 18.9C nights, with 46.9mm of rain across 6.1 days and a real 25.9 kph wind. Regulars are consistent that most beach tavernas and supermarkets close down as the month wears on, though the town itself stays open in a quieter, wind-down mode. The sea holds a warm 23.2C throughout. The record: humidity 71 percent, 9 hours of sun and AQI 44.

June is the month Skiathos regulars name alongside September - neither is as busy as July and August, and June has the most settled weather and the longest days, which our row's 14.9 hours of daylight and 13.1 hours of sun bear out. Their picture of a day is slightly cloudy mornings, a very hot spell from about two until half past four, and a cardigan wanted for eating outside in the evening; our row's narrow 24.1C to 22.2C spread shows less of that swing than they describe, so trust the daytime figure and pack for the evening anyway. On the sea they and we agree exactly: 22-23C early in the month against our 22.7C, warm enough for some and not for others depending on the beach and the wind. The record: 17.6mm across 2.1 days and AQI 51.

Skiathos is the island the Greek forums send people to when they are trying to escape the meltemi - unlike the Cyclades, regulars say there is effectively no wind here through July, August and September, just a fresh northerly breeze most days. The exception is worth knowing: when the wind swings round to the south it gets genuinely hot. Our row shows the other side of it, the breeze at 24.5 kph and nights that barely drop, 25.2C against a 27.2C day. August crowds split opinion - some describe the island full to the point of people sleeping rough and the main road a slow queue to the beaches, others found late August fine on the quieter beaches like Kolios and Megali Ammos. The record: 3.1 precipitation days carrying 28.4mm, 12.5 hours of sun and a 26.6C sea.