Crete’s rain eases as temperatures climb to 32°C this weekend before colder shift next week, forecaster says
The weather disturbance that brought rain and storms to Crete is gradually weakening and moving toward the southeastern Aegean, according to meteorologist Klearchos Marousakis. Temperatures are expected to rise over the coming days, reaching as high as 32°C in some areas by the weekend, though forecasters say the warm-up will be short-lived.
Marousakis said conditions across the country would generally be mild and improved through the early days of next week, with the rise in temperatures becoming noticeable over the weekend. In parts of Greece, maximum temperatures could touch 32°C, while northerly winds continue to dominate mainly the central and southern Aegean. Earlier in the week, a meteorologist had said the system approaching Crete was not a Mediterranean cyclone.
Disturbance shifts toward the Dodecanese
The system that brought rain and storms to Crete has moved further east, shifting the center of instability toward islands in the southeastern Aegean. Karpathos, Rhodes and other parts of the Dodecanese are expected to see rain and storms in the coming hours, with the phenomena locally more intense in places.
From Friday, the disturbance is expected to start weakening. However, the northerly winds are not expected to ease immediately and will continue to affect mainly the Aegean until early next week. The clearing follows days of unsettled weather that had already prompted closures and disruptions on the island, including the closure of both Samaria Gorge entrances on Thursday, September 17, as EMY forecast storms.
Heat returns from North Africa
Once the instability clears, atmospheric circulation is set to shift again, with warmer air masses from North Africa moving toward Greece. This is expected to gradually raise temperatures and favor more stable weather conditions generally.
Conditions will not be entirely clear everywhere, however. Local rain is possible in the Ionian, and afternoon instability cannot be ruled out over mountainous areas of mainland Greece.
Colder air expected from midweek
The return of higher temperatures appears set to be only a brief interlude. Forecast data indicate that colder air masses from eastern Europe will attempt to move into Greece from the middle of next week, causing a gradual but noticeable drop in temperatures.
If this trend is confirmed, temperatures are expected to fall below normal levels for the season, bringing clearly more autumnal conditions after the temporary heat of the weekend. The broader shift follows a pattern described earlier in the week, when a forecaster said temperatures across Greece would rise again before an autumn shift arrives next week, and echoes an assessment that the ECMWF trend points to milder cooling for Crete than for mainland Greece.
