Greece ‘s Civil Protection has warned of extreme fire danger, that is maximum Alert Level 5, for four regional units in the country for tomorrow, Sunday, August 11, and the risk of mega fires until August 15, 2024.
Very strong to gusty winds that will blow even during the night, very high temperatures and prolonged drought and dryness will create an explosive cocktail for the occurrence of dangerous fires, even mega fires, media reported summarizing the Civil protection warnings and the Meteorological Service forecast.
Stormy winds with gusts of 8 Beaufort that increase the risk of fires are forecast especially in especially in the regions of Attica, Central Greece, Peloponnese and Crete (Category 5), while another nine regions are at Very High Risk and High Risk, (Category 4 and 3 respectively).
Extreme Fire Danger – Alert Level 5 (red on the map) for:
- ⦁ Attica (excluding Kythera island)
- ⦁ Central Greece (Viotia, Evia)
- ⦁ Peloponnese (Argolida, Corinth)
- ⦁ Crete
High Fire Danger – Alert Level 4 (orange on the map) for:
- ⦁ Attica (Kythera island)
- ⦁ Peloponnese
- ⦁ Western Greece (Achais)
- ⦁ Central Greece (Fokida, Viotia, Phthiotida, Evia including Skyros island)
- ⦁ Thessaly (Sporades islands)
- ⦁ North Aegean (Lesvos, Chios, Samos, Ikaria)
- ⦁ South Aegean (Cyclades islands, Karpathos)
- ⦁ Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (Rodopi, Evros including Samothrace)
The Civil Protection has alerted all relevant state agencies such as the Fire Service, the Police, the Army, the Coast Guard (for evacuations!) and volunteers, as well as regional and municipal authorities in these areas, to remain on heightened alert and be prepared to respond promptly to any potential fire incidents.
Minister appeal
In an appeal to public, Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Vasilis Kikilias stressed that from Sunday until Thursday, August 11-15, Greece will face dangerous weather conditions that could lead to forest fires.
“We are expecting a combination of very strong winds ranging from 6 to 7 Beaufort with gusts reaching up to 8 Beaufort, along with drought and dryness. Consequently, half of Greece will be in the ‘red zone,’ as depicted on the map,” Kikilias said.
“I have requested the implementation of emergency measures involving the Army, Police, volunteers, Fire Service and Local Authorities. I urge all citizens to remain vigilant and exercise utmost responsibility, as we face a very challenging week ahead,” Kikilias added.
!!! The Civil Protection is urging citizens to immediately call the Fire Service number <199> in case they spot a fire.
A mega fire is a wildfire that burns more than 40,500 hectares (100,000 acres) of land.
Measures August 11-15, 2024
At a meeting of the Scientific Risk Assessment Committee held on Saturday at the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection to assess the weather conditions expected for the upcoming week, the following measures have been decided:
– The Fire Department will be on alert ready to deploy ground and air forces.
– In the areas of very high risk, forests, groves and parks will be closed by decisions of the Regions and Municipalities. The entrances will be guarded by officers of the Hellenic Police.
– The Greek Police will carry out increased patrols in the forests and will be on full alert to evacuate citizens to safe places if necessary.
– The Armed Forces will have increased patrols in forested areas and mountainous areas, while the project machinery will also be on hand, in order to immediately attempt to open fire zones if necessary.
– The Coast Guard is on increased alert.
– The Civil Protection mechanism of the Regions and Municipalities (project machinery, water bodies, volunteer groups), as well as the Forestry Service, are on increased alert.
– Also on heightened alert are the Power Distribution agencies, the Ambulance Service EKAV, the competent services of the Ministries of Culture and Tourism, as well as the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels.
Weather Forecast Sunday, August 11
The National Meteorological Service EMY forecasts potentially stormy winds with gusts up to 8 Beaufort in the central and southern Aegean on Sunday.
According to the meteo service of the National Observatory of Athens, the wind gusts in South Evia, the Cyclades and South Crete at noon on Sunday, August 11, will reach 90 km/h, while in Eastern mainland, Central Evia, islands of the Eastern Aegean and Eastern Peloponnese at 60-70 km/h, as clearly shown on the Map below.
The weather will be mostly sunny, with brief cloud cover over the mainland, especially in mountainous areas during the midday and afternoon hours. Winds will blow from the north at 4 to 6 Beaufort, reaching 6 to 7 Beaufort in the Aegean and possibly up to 8 Beaufort locally in the central and southern Aegean during the day.
Temperatures are expected to remain relatively stable, reaching 36 to 38 ° C on the mainland and potentially up to 39 ° C in western Greece. In the Ionian Islands, the eastern Aegean, the Dodecanese, and southern Crete, temperatures will range from 34 to 35 ° C, with a possibility of reaching 36 ° C locally. The rest of the islands will see temperatures between 29 and 31 ° C.
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