Athens, Jul. 16, (dpa/GNA) - North winds finally set in on Sunday in Greece to alleviate the sweltering temperatures of recent days and push the mercury back below 40 degrees Celsius across most of the country.
In the capital Athens, thermometers were expected to show 36 degrees around noon. On Saturday, a record-breaking 44.2 degrees was measured on the island of Crete.
However, despite the slight respite, meteorologists are warning that a new heat wave is likely in the Mediterranean holiday country.
From Wednesday on, “the temperature will go up again,” a meteorologist said on state radio, forecasting a spike as high as 44 degrees in Athens.
Because of the extreme dryness and the winds, the danger of forest fires is extremely high, civil defence authorities warned.
On Sunday, for the third day in a row, many archaeological sites in the country will be closed between 11:30 am and 5:30 pm (0830 GMT and 1430 GMT).
The Acropolis in Athens was shut to tourists on Saturday due to unbearable heat at the ancient site, caused by direct sunlight but also heat radiating from the citadel’s rock and marble.
Numerous visitors suffered mild heat strokes there in the past few days amid the so-called Cerberus heatwave, named after the three-headed monster featured in Dante’s inferno.
Doctors are advising people and especially tourists to drink plenty of water and to avoid strong physical exertion.
GNA