Heatwave up to 39°C, temperature drop Thursday

Mainland Greece found itself under a heatwave for yet another day on Tuesday 25 August 2026, with the temperature ranging from 37 to 39 degrees Celsius, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY). Locally, in southern Crete and the Cretan plains, the thermometer even reached 40 degrees. The weather was generally clear across the country, with afternoon orographic cloud development in the mountains and isolated local showers, a phenomenon common on days of intense summer heat in the mainland’s mountain ranges. The high temperatures recorded on Tuesday are part of a prolonged heatwave period that has been afflicting the country in recent days, with values remaining consistently above the seasonal average.

In the Aegean, northerly winds were blowing at force 5 to 6 and locally 7 on the Beaufort scale, conditions that, combined with the persistent heat, keep the risk of rapid fire spread elevated. It is no coincidence that the same day was designated category 3, meaning high fire risk in eight regions, a combination that partly explains the 49 rural and forest fires recorded in a 24-hour period nationwide recently. Authorities recommend during the heatwave avoiding sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day, adequate hydration, and particular attention to vulnerable groups such as the elderly and young children. These recommendations are repeated systematically whenever the temperature exceeds 37 to 38 degrees, since prolonged exposure to such high values can particularly burden vulnerable segments of the population.

EMY forecasts a gradual drop in temperature from Thursday 27 August 2026, without having yet clarified the exact size of the drop or its duration. The change is expected to bring some relief after days of prolonged heat, which has burdened both citizens’ daily lives and fire-protection conditions across the country. Until then, the high temperatures combined with the northerly winds in the Aegean create a picture that requires increased vigilance, both from civil protection authorities and citizens. The forecast temperature drop from Thursday is also expected to be accompanied by a partial reduction in the intensity of the northerly winds, which could ease the Fire Service’s work on any active fronts.

EMY has not issued, according to the information available so far, an emergency weather deterioration bulletin, a fact suggesting that the expected temperature drop will be gradual rather than sudden. It has not yet been announced whether this drop will be accompanied by wider rainfall or whether it will be limited to local phenomena in the mountains. Citizens are expected to be updated on any new developments through the service’s upcoming weather bulletins, as the situation is being monitored closely due to the continuing high fire risk. Until then, the recommendation to citizens remains the same: avoid unnecessary exposure to the heatwave and observe fire-protection measures in high-risk areas.