In central Athens, temperatures approached 40 degrees along with the northern suburbs, while in Megara and Agioi Theodoroi the temperature reached 42 degrees Celsius, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service. The ordeal of tourists and citizens is captured in characteristic images, as they try in every way to get a breath of “coolness” with fans, hats, water bottles and umbrellas to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
It should be noted that the archaeological sites of Acropolis and Slopes, Olympieion, Lyceum, Roman Agora, Ancient Agora and Hadrian’s Library remain closed during 12:00-17:00 due to high temperatures, for the safety of workers and visitors, by decision of the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens until July 25, 2025.
Lagouvardos: “We are in the midst of a prolonged heatwave”
Specifically, according to meteorologist Kostas Lagouvardos, high temperatures will persist until Sunday. However, from Monday a de-escalation of the heatwave is expected. “We are in the midst of a heatwave which ultimately has a long duration. We will see high temperatures until Sunday and a slight de-escalation on Monday. I would say that next Monday will also be a hot day, perhaps the last day of the heatwave,” says Kostas Lagouvardos, meteorologist and research director at the National Observatory of Athens (meteo.gr).
At the same time, he adds, “the heatwave shows great intensity, with very high temperatures in many areas of the country. We have already seen in recent days and will continue to see in the coming days temperatures in many areas of the country reaching 40-42 degrees Celsius, and locally 43 or 44 degrees Celsius.” According to Kostas Lagouvardos, “its long duration and intensity obviously creates great discomfort and strain for a large part of the population, not only for vulnerable groups, who obviously need greater care. This persistence of high temperatures creates thermal stress for almost the entire population. Especially in large urban centers, as is known and we have seen in recent previous years, temperatures remain very high even at night. This means that unfortunately there is no what we call a ‘relief window’ to continue somewhat better. In rural areas the situation is somewhat better, because we see lower temperatures at night, as well as in most coastal areas where the average temperature is lower. There, of course, we have high relative humidity, so the discomfort there is also quite intense.”
Weather: extreme thermal stress on Friday
According to the latest forecast data from meteo.gr/National Observatory of Athens, the following is expected:
- On Thursday 24/07 very high thermal stress in most areas of the country and extreme thermal stress in Thessaly, northern mainland areas and the islands of the Eastern Aegean.
- On Friday 25/07 very high to extreme thermal stress in most mainland areas, the islands of the Eastern Aegean and the Dodecanese.
