The Greek weather service said Friday that this summer was the hottest in the history of meteorological measurements in the country. Previously, the summer of 2012 was considered the hottest.
The summer of 2024 was the hottest on record in Greece, the Greek Meteorological Service reported on Friday. It was characterized by multi-day periods of high temperatures, significantly above the typical temperatures for this time of year throughout the country, the meteo.gr website reported. June and July were the hottest on record, while August was the second hottest after 2021.
The hottest summer in Greek history
Average summer temperatures have increased by 2.3 degrees Celsius between 1960 and 2024, and the average temperature from 1991 to 2020 has been exceeded by 2.9 degrees Celsius. This summer has also been, on average, one degree hotter than 2012, which was previously considered the hottest summer on record.
According to meteorologists, September will also be warmer than usual.
Raging fires
Meteorological service chief Manolis Plionis said this week that the number of Greek fires this year – more than 4,000 since May according to officials – was higher than the 20-year average.
An exceptionally hot summer in GreeceGEORGE VITSARAS/PAP/EPA
Main image source: GEORGE VITSARAS/PAP/EPA