Greece bracing for hottest mid-May heatwave in 50 years

As temperatures are expected to hit and even exceed 40 degrees Celsius in many parts of the country this weekend, a National Observatory of Athens (NOA) scientist said Greece may be in for the hottest May heatwave in at least 50 years.

Speaking to state broadcaster ERT on Friday, University of Crete Professor Nikos Michalopoulos, who is also head of the NOA's Institute for Research and Sustainable Development, said that the last time Greece saw temperatures reach the 40C mark at this time of year was in 2017, when the Peloponnesian city of Argos hit 40.2 Celsius on May 13, and in 1969, when the daytime high in the central Greek city of Larissa reached exactly 40 Celsius on May 30. Lamia came close with 39.6 degrees Celsius on May 23, 1973, and Hania in Crete with 39C on May 25, 1994.

Michalopoulos said that while warm weather is not unusual in May, temperatures above...