From Friday, temperatures are expected to rise to over 40 degrees across much of Greece. In the capital Athens, maximum temperatures of up to 45 degrees can be reached on Saturday, as announced by the country’s meteorological service on Tuesday. Authorities warn residents and tourists to be careful and recommend avoiding heavy physical exertion.
Many cities and towns will open air-conditioned halls to the public so that people who don’t have air conditioning can take refuge. Several unions called for Friday to be declared a day off because of the heat. However, the government has yet to comment on this.
People are encouraged to work from home if possible. Employers were asked not to subject their employees to heavy physical work outdoors.
Meteorologists have yet to say how long the heat wave will last. However, they fear that the high temperatures could last up to 10 days. After all, the risk of fire is not high so far. In Greece, it rained a lot until a few weeks ago.
Mega heat also in Spain
In Spain, temperatures rise again at the beginning of the week. According to the Spanish meteorological service Aemet on Monday, the flow of hot air from North Africa is causing the extreme heat, which is expected to last at least until Wednesday.
“Both in large parts of the Spanish peninsula and in the Balearic Islands, there is intense heat on Monday and Tuesday with temperatures between 38 and 40 degrees,” said an Aemet spokesman. “Parts of Andalusia and Aragon will reach between 42 and 44 degrees.”
Just under two weeks ago, Spain suffered the first heat wave of the summer, which saw temperatures soar to over 44 degrees in parts of Andalusia. There were several fatalities due to the intense heat, and some Spanish regions were put on alert. Last year, Spain experienced the hottest summer since records began in 1916. Experts predict that Spain will be one of the countries hardest hit by climate change. In addition to the increase in heat waves, the country suffers from a worrying lack of rain.