Meteorologist Thodoris Kolyda has provided clarifications on the behavior of katabatic winds and the evolution of weather conditions in Greece. As Kolyda points out, despite winds in the open waters of the Ionian and Aegean seas reaching 6 Beaufort, westerly winds had not managed — as of midday — to intensify over the mainland enough to act as dry katabatic winds.
This allowed sea breezes to develop across several eastern areas, which kept temperatures lower than the most extreme scenarios had predicted. Exceptions included parts of Eastern Central Greece and, notably, southern Peloponnese, where wind activity pushed the mercury up to 40–41°C. The meteorologist stressed, however, that a full assessment is made at the end of the day, as conditions can still change.
What are Foehn winds and why are they causing concern?
At the same time, state emergency services are on high alert, as fire-weather conditions bear similarities to those seen during the deadly Mati wildfire — due to the onset of the Foehn effect.
This phenomenon occurs when westerly winds interact with the topography of mountain ranges, generating hot, dry descending winds — known in Greece as “Livas.”
