Extreme heat health alerts in Athens and other Greek cities on Thursday, Friday

Extremely high temperatures with a potentially serious impact on health are forecast in the Greek capital, Athens, and the cities of Thessaloniki and Larissa over the next few days, according to the National Observatory of Athens weather unit Meteo.

A level 3 heat-health alert is expected in Athens on Thursday, followed by level 3 heat health alerts in Athens, Thessaloniki and Larissa on Friday.

Thessaloniki and Larissa will also have level 2 alerts on Thursday, while the port city of Patras is expected to have a level 1 heat alert on Thursday and a level 2 alert on Friday. A level 1 heatwave alert is also forecast in Ioannina on Friday.

The fire risk will rise significantly as very warm and dry conditions greatly increase the flammability of dead organic matter in forests.

The Meteo unit, in collaboration with the Atlantic Council's Arsht-Rock Resilience Center, is engaged in the categorisation of high-temperature days for six large Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Larissa, Ioannina, Patras and Iraklion). This is based on an algorithm for predicting the impact of days with high temperatures on the health of the cities' inhabitants, taking into account factors such as humidity and wind that affect heat perception. There are four levels, where 0 represents high temperatures and danger to the health of vulnerable people and 3 is highest, representing extreme temperatures and a significant health risk, requiring maximum precautions.