Climate

The "typical" Mediterranean climate is one of mild, moist winters and hot, dry summers.
There exists, of course, much variation within this general picture. Northern areas, for example, experience fairly-frequent frosts and are generally wetter than the southern areas, which tend to have longer, drier summers. On a local scale, adjacent locations can have dramatically different micro-climates.

The Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) is characteristic in most areas, although different species may dominate depending on the local conditions. Trees and shrubs are often adapted to the hot summer conditions by the presence of firm, frequently narrow, evergreen leaves lasting 2-3 years (e.g. rosemary, olive). Plants often become dormant during the dry summer period (estivation) and many annuals persist only as seeds during this time. On the other hand, growth may continue virtually throughout the winter months.

To give at least one example of climate, here are a few local weather statistics from Montpellier (Hérault, France) on the northernmost fringes of the Mediterranean zone.

Average number of days per year :

Wind	100-250
High Wind	26
Rain	88
Snow	3-4
Hail	1
Storm	25
Fog/Mist	10
Temperatures < 0°C	35
Temperatures > 25°C	85

Sunshine is around 62% of daylight hours or 2 714 hours per year, with an average of 360 h in July.
Average rainfall is 830 mm/year, mostly in autumn (Oct/Nov) with less than 100 mm in summer (Jul/Aug).

Some records for Montpellier:
Hottest day : 37.5°C on 17 July 1990 (Hérault 43°C)
Wettest day : 177.2 mm on 13 September 1968 (Hérault 447.6 mm)
Best downpour : 20.2 mm in 6 minutes on 26 October 1979.
Windiest day : 133 kph on 23 March 1952 (Hérault 172 kph).
Coldest day : - 17.8°C on 5 February 1963 (Hérault -29°C).