Hot, sunny weather to give way to storms in most parts of Greece

A weather system dubbed Minos by Greek meteorologists is bringing rain, storms and hail to many parts of the country this weekend.

Sweeping in from the west, the system was to hit the islands of the Ionian on Friday, bringing light showers and a drop in temperatures, before spreading east across the rest of Greece.

According to www.meteo.gr, the weather website of the National Observatory, Athens and Thessaloniki should brace for storms and strong downpours over the weekend, as Minos moves onto the Greek mainland. The system will also bring a significant drop in temperatures, down to the low and mid-20 Celsius range from current daytime levels in the low 30s.

While winds in the Ionian and Aegean are not expected to reach speeds of above 6 or 7 on the Beaufort scale, the observatory stressed that they will be gale force during storms.

The islands of the Aegean, however, are mainly expected to get sporadic showers.

Powerful, localized storms that will likely bring hail as well will continue on the mainland through Monday and Tuesday, especially in northern Greece.

The weather is expected to start improving across Greece as of Wednesday.