A mini heatwave is expected to sweep across Greece by the end of the week, with temperatures reaching up to 39–40 degrees Celsius in western and northern parts of the country. At the same time, the Etesian winds (Meltemi) will continue to blow across the Aegean, keeping temperatures lower in eastern and southern Greece — but also maintaining an elevated wildfire risk.
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As meteorologist Nikos Kanteres explained to parapolitika.gr, the intense heat surge originating from Africa — which is currently battering central Europe with extremely high temperatures in Italy, Austria, and the Western Balkans — is only marginally affecting Greece. Nevertheless, western and northern regions of the country will bear the brunt of the heat, with peak temperatures expected today, tomorrow, and on Friday. “In western and northern Greece, temperatures will reach 37–38 degrees Celsius, while locally the thermometer could climb as high as 39–40 degrees, as has already been recorded in Kalamata, Leonidio, and Serres,” he noted.
By contrast, in eastern and southern Greece, the Meltemi winds will continue to act as a natural barrier against the heat. In the Greater Athens area (Attica), temperatures are expected to hover around 35–36 degrees Celsius, while coastal areas could be as much as 3–5 degrees cooler thanks to the northerly winds.
Weather: Meltemi winds hold back the heat — but not the wildfire danger
Although the winds will not reach the intensity recorded last weekend — when gusts reached storm force in several areas and contributed significantly to the spread of devastating wildfires — they will continue to blow across the Aegean and keep the risk of fire ignition and rapid spread dangerously high.
As Kanteres emphasizes, even if the winds are somewhat weaker, combined with high temperatures and prolonged drought conditions, they continue to create dangerous circumstances — particularly in areas such as Eastern Attica, Western Attica, Euboea, the eastern Peloponnese, and several Aegean islands.
Reflecting on the recent major wildfires, he notes that strong winds played a significant role in their spread, but the decisive factor was that the fires were not contained in their initial stages.
“The winds facilitated the spread of the fires, but the real problem was that they got out of control from the very beginning. Once a fire reaches that scale, it becomes extremely difficult to stop its advance,” he stressed.
New temperature rise expected from early next week
According to the meteorologist, from Monday, August 10 onward, a new transfer of warm air masses from the Middle East is expected, primarily affecting Cyprus and Turkey, with a more limited impact on the Dodecanese and the islands of the Eastern Aegean, where a moderate temperature increase is possible.
Kanteres also offered some reassurance regarding wind conditions, pointing out that there is currently no indication of a new episode of storm-force winds at Beaufort 8 or 9 — a positive development both for the weather outlook and for maritime travel. That said, the combination of heat, dry vegetation, and persistent Meltemi winds continues to demand heightened vigilance, as even a small ignition source can, under the right conditions, rapidly escalate into a major wildfire.
