Greece is bracing itself for a prolonged heatwave that is expected to begin next week, with meteorologists issuing warnings that temperatures will soar above 40°C (104°F) in various parts of the country. Kostas Lagouvardos, a meteorologist at meteo.gr, expressed concern over the situation, stating that “If our forecast is right we will be faced with a difficult situation.”
“We already had a three-day period with high temperatures, but it was not a heat wave. At the weekend we will see the temperature drop a bit, but from Tuesday onwards, a strong heatwave will start affecting the country”.
According to Lagouvardos, “the data available show that we will have temperatures above 40 degrees in several areas of the country. If these figures are verified, then we will be faced with a difficult situation, because heatwaves are a silent danger to health, to agricultural production, and, of course, to ecosystems.”
“We are already in the dry season, and this heatwave will make matters worse. We fear for the forests, as pine needles and twigs dry out very quickly,” Lagouvardos added.
Meanwhile, Panagiotis Giannopoulos, a meteorologist at public television ERT, warned that this intense heatwave could extend for up to 10 days. He predicts that the initial heatwave will commence on July 12 and persist for several days, with indications suggesting it might last until at least July 22. A recent study published in the scientific journal “Climate” supports these concerns, revealing an increasing trend in heatwave characteristics, such as intensity, duration, and frequency, from 1950 to 2020.
Furthermore, the study highlights that the areas in Greece experiencing at least one heatwave per year have nearly doubled since 1990. Adding to the urgency, the European observatory Copernicus has warned that the summer of 2023 is anticipated to be one of the most extraordinary in human history. The combined effects of climate change and the return of the El Niño phenomenon are driving ocean and land temperatures to unprecedented levels. June has already been declared the hottest month on record, and record-breaking temperatures have been observed worldwide since April.
Greece and the international community face the immediate challenge of mitigating the risks associated with the impending heatwave while addressing the broader issue of climate change to safeguard the well-being of people and the environment.
