Greece faces high fire risk on August 13-14 as ‘Hot-Dry-Windy’ conditions threaten Crete and other regions

Greece is bracing for a critical two-day period of elevated wildfire risk on August 13 and 14, with southern Crete among the areas affected, according to a warning issued by the Flame team of Meteo, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens.

The warning describes conditions known as “Hot-Dry-Windy,” referring to hot, dry and windy weather that increases the danger of fast-spreading fires. According to the Flame team, north to northeast winds will strengthen significantly, reaching 40-60 km/h and locally exceeding 60-70 km/h.

On Thursday, August 13, these winds are expected to combine with atmospheric dryness, mainly in western Greece, producing the “Hot-Dry-Windy” pattern. On Friday, August 14, forecasters expect moisture to move into the mid-troposphere, creating conditions favorable for pyroconvection, again mainly in the west. The Flame team said the flammability of forest fuels will be very high across much of the country, particularly in western and northern regions.

The team said the expected impacts include a very high to locally extreme potential for wind-driven fires, high rates of spread, large heat loads and a significantly increased likelihood of spot fires. It warned of possible extreme fire behavior, particularly in leeward areas where winds can create locally extreme dry and hot conditions, as well as intense fire behavior at night in some locations and potential for pyroconvection, mainly in the west.

Areas identified as affected include Attica, Central and South Evia, South Boeotia, Phokida, Korinthia, Argolida, Laconia, Kythira, Lesvos, Limnos, Chios, West Achaia and Ilia. Areas identified as locally affected include Aitoloakarnania, Messinia, Arkadia, Central and Eastern Macedonia, Xanthi, Rodopi, Evros, Thasos, Samothraki, Samos, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Zakynthos and southern Crete.

The Flame team clarified that the warning is the product of research carried out at the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development of the National Observatory of Athens and does not replace official forecasts and announcements from the relevant authorities.

Civil Protection calls for maximum readiness

Separately, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Mr. Tournas, called for maximum readiness of the entire state mechanism and early deployment of forces in the field to reduce response times, along with increased readiness of heavy machinery and water tankers at key locations. The request came during a meeting of the Civil Protection Coordination Body convened on Wednesday by the Secretary General of Civil Protection, Nikos Papaevstathiou, in response to an alert status declared for Thursday due to forecasts of extreme fire risk conditions, classified as category 5.

The minister said the country is entering a new cycle of particularly difficult conditions, with stormy winds that, according to the Risk Assessment Committee, are expected to affect a large part of the country in the coming days. He stressed the importance of reinforcing ground and air patrols and close cooperation between the Fire Service, the Hellenic Police, the Armed Forces, local government and volunteer groups.

He also appealed to citizens to exercise maximum caution. “Even the slightest negligence, under these conditions, can cause a fire and in a very short time lead to an extremely difficult situation,” the minister said.

At the start of the meeting, the minister referred to the multiple serious incidents the civil protection mechanism has had to handle recently, noting that the Fire Service continues to respond daily to a large number of fires across the country. He said 40 to 50 incidents are being recorded daily, and that fire service personnel are already coming off a particularly demanding period marked by successive large fires.