Greece braces for intense, prolonged heatwave with temperatures soaring above 40°C
Greece is set to endure a prolonged and extreme heatwave starting Monday, with meteorologists warning that temperatures could soar as high as 44°C in parts of the country. The sweltering conditions are expected to persist through at least Friday, July 25, with the hottest days forecast for midweek.
According to Athens National Observatory research director Kostas Lagouvardos, this will mark the second and more intense phase of a heat spell that began the previous week. "This second wave will likely last around six days, with a gradual cooling expected next weekend in some regions," he told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA).
The peak of the heatwave is forecast for Tuesday through Thursday, with extreme heat potentially continuing into Friday depending on wind conditions. "Based on forecast data and the characteristics of the incoming hot air masses, some areas may experience temperatures approaching extreme thresholds," Lagouvardos said.
Regions likely to be hardest hit include Thessaly, parts of Central Macedonia and Thrace, the Peloponnese, and eastern Central Greece, including the Athens metropolitan area. Nighttime temperatures will also remain unusually high, especially in Attica, where last week’s lows hovered around 30°C well into the early morning hours, contributing to dangerous heat stress.
Stavros Dafis, a physicist and meteorologist at the National Observatory of Athens, confirmed that extreme heat will impact even higher elevations. Temperatures are expected to surpass 40°C in lowland areas, reach up to 35°C at altitudes of 800 meters, and remain as high as 25–26°C at elevations exceeding 1,500 meters.
Health experts are also raising concerns. Professor Klea Katsougianni of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, who also teaches Public Health at Imperial College London, warned that such prolonged heatwaves significantly raise mortality risks.
"Without urgent action to mitigate and adapt to climate change, the consequences for public health could be dire," she said. Citing a study published in Nature Medicine, Katsougianni noted that Athens is among the top ten European cities facing a sharp rise in heat-related deaths by the end of the century. She emphasized that the duration of heatwaves, especially those exceeding three days, dramatically increases their health impact.
Authorities are urging the public to stay hydrated, avoid strenuous activity during peak hours, and ensure that vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and children, are protected from the heat.
