The Greek Meteorological Service has issued a new warning of a heatwave across the country, starting this weekend through mid next week. The temperatures are expected to reach as high as 41C in western Greece.
The hot weather – which is travelling from Africa across the Mediterranean – has led 26 European cities to issue weather warnings to residents and tourists.
The Greek mainland, particularly in the west and northwest, as well as in the western Peloponnese will experience high temperatures while the Ionian islands will be slightly cooler with daytime highs in the 35-Celsius region.
Athens, the eastern Aegean islands and Crete will be spared the worst of the fresh heat wave, with temperatures not exceeding 38 Celsius over the weekend.
The heatwave nicknamed “Lucifer” has seen temperatures soar to over 40C across Europe, causing wildfires, drought, and chaos over the continent.
Greece, Croatia, Italy, France and Spain are among the countries that have been labouring under intense heat, in Europe’s hottest summer for a decade.
On Saturday temperatures are expected to reach 39C in the western parts, 38C in the north and 36C in Athens and the islands.
From Sunday on, temps are expected to rise to 40-41C all over the country, as the northern summer breeze will gradually disappear.
The heatwave has caused a 15 per cent increase in hospital emergency admissions in Italy with 26 major towns and cities on the health ministry’s maximum heat alert.
At least two people have died from the heat — one in Romania and one in Poland — and many more have been taken to hospital suffering from sunstroke and other heat-related conditions
In Romania ‘red alerts’ have been issued after meteorologists have forecast 42C in western parts of the country.
The beaches across the Mediterranean will all feel a lot hotter than normal due to warm winds coming up from Africa.
The heatwave has also caused wildfires in Italy, Spain and Croatia this week.
In Greece, the seaside town of Kalyvia, south of Athens, had to be evacuated as a wildfires threatened homes in high winds.
Albanian authorities have asked for help from the European Union to fight some 20 wildfires in the Vlora district along the country’s coast.
