Crete forecast: temperatures set to reach 40°C this weekend as heatwave persists

Crete is forecast to see temperatures approach 40°C this weekend, according to meteo.gr, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, as heatwave conditions affecting Greece are expected to persist into next week.

The weekend is forecast to start with highs around 35°C on Saturday, August 22, with a “feels like” temperature of 38°C during peak hours, according to meteo.gr. Temperatures are expected to climb further the following day, approaching 40°C. Winds are forecast to blow from the northwest at 4 to 5 Beaufort.

The forecast follows a brief period of cloud cover and lower temperatures earlier in the week, which meteo.gr’s data suggests was temporary. Crete had already recorded highs approaching 34°C on Friday, August 21, before the sharper rise forecast for the weekend.

National forecast

Across the country, meteo.gr forecasts initial sunshine with limited cloud cover, with heatwave conditions in many areas around midday. Overnight lows in urban centers are expected to remain high, and visibility may be locally reduced by fog in western Greece and the Aegean during the night and early morning.

By region, meteo.gr forecasts highs of 34-35°C in Western Macedonia, 35-37°C (locally 38°C) in the rest of Macedonia and Thrace, 37-39°C (locally 40°C) in Thessaly, 35-37°C in Epirus, 37-39°C in the rest of mainland Greece, 34-36°C in the Ionian islands, and 32-34°C in the Aegean islands and Crete, though the Eastern Aegean islands could locally reach 36-38°C.

Winds in the Aegean are expected from the northwest at 3-5 Beaufort, shifting to west-northwest at 4-5 Beaufort in the southern seas, while the Ionian Sea will see northwesterly winds of 3-4, locally 5, Beaufort. In Attica and Athens, meteo.gr forecasts sunshine with northerly winds of 2-4 Beaufort and highs of 36-38°C, locally up to 39°C. Thessaloniki is expected to see limited cloud cover, light southeasterly winds of 3-4 Beaufort, and highs around 35°C.

Heatwave to persist into next week

According to forecast data from the National Observatory of Athens and meteo.gr, temperatures nationwide are expected to rise slightly further over the weekend of Saturday, August 22, and Sunday, August 23. Heatwave conditions are forecast to continue in many areas until around midweek, with highs reaching 38-40°C nationally and locally 41-42°C.

The rising heat comes after a meteorologist earlier forecast sharper heat from Friday onward, and follows warnings that the region faces an elevated wildfire risk amid the prolonged dry, hot spell. Forecast maps cited by meteo.gr show air masses at 1,500 meters above sea level running 6 to 8 degrees warmer than the seasonal average for the period 1979-2010, a metric used to study temperature changes in the lower atmosphere. Meteo.gr notes that ground-level temperatures ultimately depend on additional factors, including cloud cover, wind, and local topography.