Meteorologists warn of weekend heatwave

A hot weather front sweeping into Greece from Africa will push temperatures in some parts of the country above the 40-Celsius mark over the weekend, the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS) warned on Thursday.

Daytime highs midday on Thursday are expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius on the Greek mainland and 35C on the islands, inching up on Friday to 39 Celsius in Athens and other parts of continental Greece, and up to 37C on the islands of Aegean.

Saturday promises to be even more of a scorcher, with the mercury climbing to 40 degrees Celsius in Fthiotida, Viotia, the eastern Peloponnese and other parts, and even possibly reaching 42C in Thessaly in central Greece.

The hot weather is also expected to bring storms on Saturday evening, especially in eastern Macedonia, Thrace and the northern Aegean, where downpours will be particularly strong at times.

Strong northerly winds are also expected as of Saturday night, starting in the Ionian and spreading across the mainland to the Aegean by Sunday. These winds may make sailing unpleasant or even impossible, but they also will bring temperatures down by an average of 4 degrees Celsius.

Holidaymakers are advised to keep abreast of weather forecasts and not take unnecessary risks, especially if camping or sailing.