Greece Approaching All-Time Record For Longest Heatwave; 50-Year High Temps This Weekend
The heatwave engulfing Greece is expected to be the longest in the country’s history, with temperatures forecast to reach a 50-year high for July this weekend. Kostas Lagouvardos, the director of research at the Athens National Observatory, told ERT television: “According to the data, we will probably go through 16-17 days of a heatwave, which has never happened before in our country.” Greece defines a heatwave as a period when temperatures reach or exceed 39C (102F).
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Athens is expected to be hotter than 40C for at least six to seven days, according to the meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos. Successive days of extreme heat are unusual for the Greek capital. Government ministries have advised people to work from home where possible and not to go out unnecessarily. Key tourism sites will be closed during the hottest part of the day, including the Acropolis, a world heritage site, which will be shut from midday to 5.30pm every day until Sunday.
A 46-year-old man was reported to have died from heat stroke after being admitted to Chalkida hospital on the central island of Evia. The hospital said cardio-respiratory failure after exposure to high temperatures appeared to be the cause. Authorities reported firefighters were still battling 79 forest fires across Greece, with a spokesperson, Vassilios Vathrakoyannis, saying the country would be on a state of alert all weekend.
The previous heatwave record in Greece was set in 1987, when scorching temperature lasted 11 days. Athens’ highest temperature, of 44.8C, was recorded in June 2007, according to the national observatory, with nearby Elefsina recording a national high of 48C in July 1977.
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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/22/heatwave-set-to-be-greeces-longest-as-extreme-weather-continues-in-europe
