The heatwave of July was the longest in Greece since 1980, the meteo service of the National Observatory of Athens reported on Thursday. Temperature consistently exceeded 37 degrees Celsiusfor sixteen consecutive days, the report stressed.
The heatwave of July 2024 -July 8-23 – lasted 16 days, surpassing the heatwave of 2023 (12.7.23 – 26.7.23) which lasted 15 days and was the longest heatwave ever to affect our country until then.
Both heatwaves were recorded by a large number of stations of the meteo.gr / National Observatory of Athens network, in which the daily temperature exceeded the limits of 37 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees. This indicates the large geographical extent of the areas affected by the high temperatures.
In the heatwave of 2024 the number of stations with a maximum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius and above never fell below 100 for 16 consecutive days. In contrast to the 2023 heatwave where the number of stations with a maximum temperature of 37 °C and above fell below 100 for 3 times within the span of 15 days.
In the heat wave of 2023, three phases were distinct, with several differences in the intensity and extent of high temperatures. In the 2024 heatwave the distribution was more even over the 16-day duration of the heatwave.
The heat of 2024 did not present the extreme values as during the heat of 2023.
The report recalls that in 2023 the temperature reached and exceeded 45 degrees Celsius in several areas (e.g. Gythio, Kranidi, Amfissa, Avlida, Paleochora of Chania) while in July 2024 the highest temperature was 43.1 °C in Skala Messinia.
Although this year’s July did not show very high temperature values like in 2023, in many areas of our country such as in Macedonia, Thrace as well as in some areas of the Peloponnese and Western Greece the temperatures recorded during the heat wave of 2024 were highest that have been recorded for the month of July at least since 2010 and after, when a large number of meteorological stations of the National Observatory of Athens operate.
Some stations of the meteo.gr / National Observatory of Athens network that set temperature records for the month of July are the following:
- Alexandroupoli
- Didimoteiho
- Thassos
- Drama
- Nea Peramos – Kavala
- Serres
- Xanthi
- Thessaloniki
- Naoussa
- Dion of Pieria
- Corfu
- Amfilochia
- Piraeus
- Patras
- Zaharo in Ilia
It is also noted that in areas such as Gavalou of Etoloakarnania and Skala of Messinia, the maximum temperature in the heat of 2024 was higher than 40 degrees Celsius for 14 and 13 consecutive days respectively.
The longest heatwaves in modern meteorological history in our country occurred in two consecutive years last year and this year.
Extended heatwave incidents 1987-2024: Year, Dates, Duration Days
source: meteo.gr
