A slight further increase is expected to occur in the temperature today, Friday, July 21, 2023, as the heatwave continues to deepen, according to the forecast data of the National Observatory of Athens / METEO.
The maximum values will even exceed 41-43 degrees in some places. This results in the exposure of most of the population to very high maximum temperatures.
As the map shows, around 8 million people are expected to experience temperatures above 39 °C, while around 180,000 people will experience temperatures above 41 °C.
It is noted that the demographic data concern the permanent residents of each region, while any movements (e.g. due to summer holidays) that temporarily change the local populations have not been taken into account.
High risk level in Athens, Patras, Larissa and Thessaloniki
The METEO unit of the National Observatory of Athens (EAA), in collaboration with the scientific committee of the Arsht-Rock Resilience Center of the Atlantic Council, operationally applies the categorisation of days with high temperatures for 6 major cities of the country.
These are Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Ioannina, Patras and Heraklion.
The working group includes the Hellenic Red Cross and the Greek office of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC).
The categorisation includes four classification categories (0-1-2-3). Regarding the risk level, on Friday 21/07 we expect the maximum risk level 3 (extreme temperatures with significant health effects), in 4 of the 6 cities where the categorization is applied, in Athens, Patras, Larissa and Thessaloniki.
Increased risk of fires
At the same time, based on the forecast data of the FLAME fire-meteorological team of the National Observatory of Athens (EAA) / meteo.gr, unfavorable fire-meteorological conditions are expected to prevail in several regions of the country.
In particular, parts of the eastern and southern mainland and the Aegean will be affected, where there is a high risk of forest fires occurring and spreading.
READ MORE: Fire Ravaged Areas in Athens: Initial Inspections Reveal 60 Uninhabitable Homes and Businesses.
