The 15-day heatwave that ended on Wednesday evening, July 26, was the longest one recorded in the country, the National Observatory of Athens’ weather service Meteo.gr has said.
The heatwave comprised three phases:
- from July 12 to 15
- from July 18 to 23
- from July 23 to 26 with last two days July 25-26 being the hottest.
The hottest day recorded across the country was on July 23, when 350 weather stations recorded temperatures in excess of 37 degrees Celsius and 180 stations registered 40 degrees or higher.
That day saw almost the entire population of the country affected by temperatures of 40 degrees or higher.
The temperature of 46.4 degrees Celsius recorded in Gythio, in the Peloponnese, on July 23 was the fourth highest temperature recorded in the country since records began.
All regions of the country, with the exception of the Ionian and Aegean islands, broke the temperature records for the past 15 years.
In all the geographical units of the country, with the exception of the Ionian and Aegean islands, absolute maximum temperature records of the last 15 years were set (we remind you that our network of stations began its gradual expansion and operation 17 years ago). Indicatively, we mention the following areas with absolute maximum temperature records (regardless of month):
- Thrace: Orestiada
- Macedonia: Giannitsa, Grevena
- Epirus: Papigo, Preveza
- Thessaly: Skopelos
- Solid: Amfikleia, Arachova, Theologos, Chalkida, Tanagra, Avlida
- Attica: Ampelokipoi, Parnitha
- Peloponnese: Kranidi, Kiato, Molaoi, Lappa, Kalamata
- Crete: Tzermiado, Anogeia, Sfakia
Residents of the Athens city center district of Patisia experienced temperatures above 30 degrees for 307 hours from July 12 to 26. In the same period, the residents in Larissa (Thessaly) and Sparta (Laconia) experienced such temperatures for 230 and 186 hours, respectively. The population of the northern cities of Ioannina and Kozani, on the other hand, had only 164 and 145 hours of such temperatures, respectively. source: meteo.gr
Note that the heatwave have sent dozens of people to hospitals with heatstroke symptoms. At least four people died of heatstroke: 2 in Athens, one on Evia and one on Crete. Two of them were elderly citizens over 78 years old, while the other two were workers with disabilities.
