Record temperature expected in Greece this weekend, fires still raging

First modification: 07/22/2023 – 20:11

2 min

Greece is “probably” experiencing the longest heatwave ever recorded in its history, with temperatures expected to top 44°C on the weekend of July 22-23. In the center of the country, the weather prediction is that the thermometer will rise to 45°C.

And thousands of tourists have been evacuated this Saturday, July 22, on the Greek island of Rhodes due to a large forest fire, which is out of control, and have been transferred by boats to other safe places on the island.

So far, more than 2,000 tourists have been evacuated by boat from Kiotari beach, on the island’s west coast, Coast Guard spokesman Nikos Alexíu told private SKAI television.

Large fires have hit the country in recent days. Most of them seem contained, but the authorities fear the next heat wave.

“We need absolute vigilance (…) because the difficult times are not over,” warned Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. “We are facing a new heat wave” and “a possible strengthening of the winds”, which are already fueling several fires in the outskirts of the capital, he added.

The episode could last until next Thursday and Friday, according to the meteorologist of the private television channel Mega, Yannis Kallianos. “We are probably going to experience a heat wave of 16 to 17 days, which has never happened before in our country,” Kostas Lagouvardos, director of research at the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development at the National Observatory in Athens, told ERT television.

All the country’s archaeological sites, including the famous Acropolis of Athens, will remain closed during the hottest hours until Sunday, the Ministry of Culture announced.

Original note and EFE