Greece holiday warning over ‘insidious’ ten-day heatwave where temperatures could hit 45C
BRITS heading to Greece have been warned of an “insidious” heatwave with the mercury set to hit a sizzling 45C in some regions.
The first heatwave of the summer is due to last ten days with temperatures reaching an average of 42C to 43C across the country.
Forecasters predict the heatwave is set to start on Wednesday and is expected to peak up to 45C on Friday.
The director of Greece‘s meteorological agency, Thodoris Kolidas, said the heatwave will have a long duration and possibly last until the beginning of next week.
He added that the agency is expected to release an emergency hot weather warning later today.
He described the heatwave as “insidious and dangerous” – and noted it will be particularly hot in the evenings with temperatures above 30C.
The highest temperatures will be on Friday and Saturday with the mercury expected to reach up to 45C in some cities on the mainland and 39C to 40C in the islands.
The regions of Thessaly, northern Greece and Peloponnese are expected to see highs of 45C, with 42C in Rhodes, Crete and Athens and 39C to 40C in the rest of the islands.
Forecaster Giannis Kallianos warned that strong winds on Sunday will cause the temperature to drop to 38C to 39C – but will also trigger an alert for wildfires.
On Monday the temperature is set to rise again, Proto Thema reports.
Meteorologist George Tsatrafillias said: “There are three elements that concern me regarding the upcoming African heat wave.
“It’s aggression on Friday and Saturday. Temperatures may exceed 44 degrees in heat-sensitive areas.”
Even at night, the temperature will be around 30C in the cities, the forecaster added.
He said the dry and warm conditions are particularly concerning as they increase the possibility of wildfires.
It comes as Brits in Spain were warned of a “Level 1 heat alert” over the weekend as some regions saw temperatures of 42C.
The first sizzling heatwave of the summer hit popular resorts such as Benidorm and the islands of Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza, according to Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET.
“We are currently recording temperatures slightly above normal, one or two degrees above normal,” María José Guerrero, a spokesperson for AEMET told Majorca Daily.
Spain has had a warmer-than-average spring and summer so far, and holidaymakers were warned in June of an “extremely hot” time ahead.
Last year was Spain’s hottest since records began in 1961, and three intense summer heatwaves spanned 41 days – the most ever.
Temperatures reached a record high of 47.6C in the southern city of Cordoba on August 3.