Traditional geographic divisions of Greece

Temperatures will plummet from Saturday along the northern and mountainous regions of the country, the National Meteorological Service (EMY) has said.

The weekend cold front will be accompanied by stormy northerly gales in the Aegean, reaching force eight or nine, with significant rainfall expected along coastal areas.

The Environment Ministry is to resurrect the plan for the partial diversion of Acheloos River in Epirus, western Greece, the implementation of which has been annulled five times by the Council of State.

The project will be included in the water management plan of Thessaly and deemed as necessary to cover part of the water deficit.

The National Meteorological Service has issued a warning of wet and stormy weather expected in parts of western and northern Greece from Saturday afternoon to early Sunday, as the weather system "Petar" makes its way to the country's shores.

After average temperatures of 36.3 and a high of 42.6 degrees Celsius recorded by the country's weather stations on Friday, the mercury is expected to rise again slightly over the weekend and to reach 45C in places.

The country is facing a prolonged heat wave, one "worse than that of 1987," according to Antonis Lalos, director of the National Meteorological Service (NMS).

The Ilina storm is currently underway and is expected to affect Greece Monday and Tuesday, bringing heavy rain and thunderstorms, accompanied by frequent lightning, hail, and strong winds in some areas.

"Athena" continues its offensive in Greece having already created problems in several areas. The Ionian islands, Epirus and Achaia were inundated in the last few hours by the rains and storms, with the citizens facing the fury of nature.

Greece's National Meteorological Service (EMY) warned on Saturday of storms and strong winds which are expected to hit the country as of Sunday, starting from the western regions.

The new jump of Covid-19 infections in several neighboring countries have forced the Greek government to reconsider its plan to reopen its northern borders to Balkan tourists, allowing only Bulgarians to cross into the country.

The Hellenic Police (ELAS) recorded more than 1,900 violations of social distancing measures in just one day, it said on Thursday.
During nationwide inspections on Wednesday on individuals flouting regulations for stemming public circulation amid the coronavirus epidemic, ELAS officers reported a total of 1,916 violations.

The first snow fell in mountainous regions of Greece on the weekend, as temperatures dropped across the country.

The mountain ranges of Menalo in the Peloponnese, Pilio in Thessaly and Karpenisi in central Greece saw 10 centimeters of snow.