High temperatures, strong winds increase risk of wildfires

With temperatures set to reach up to 38 degrees Celsius on Friday in parts and strong winds forecast for much of the country, authorities were on alert for a heightened risk of wildfires. 

According to www.meteo.gr, temperatures were to range from 36C to 38C on the western mainland and northwestern Peloponnese, 35-37C in Macedonia, Thessaly, the eastern Aegean and southern Crete. 

Winds will reach 7 Beaufort in the Aegean, which will make conditions feel cooler but will also increase the risk of fires. 

The risks is to remain high on Saturday with the General Secretariat for Civil Protection citing a Category 4 risk for Attica, the northern Aegean, the Peloponnese, mainland and western Greece and eastern Macedonia and Thrace.