National Observatory's Meteo weather service

A visitor at the Stoa of Attalos in the Ancient Agora of Athens fans herself as a new heatwave gripped Greece on Friday. The National Observatory's Meteo weather service reported that the highest temperatures on Friday were recorded in Akrotiri in Hania on Crete, which hit 42.6C, and in Thiva, at 42.2C.

Greece is bracing for its first heatwave which is forecast to hit the country in the middle of next week, as hot air from North Africa will start affecting temperatures from Wednesday, reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in some regions of the country.

Temperatures are expected to rise further from the middle of next week across the entire country, reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius in some regions, in the season's first heatwave. 

The National Observatory's Meteo weather service said that hot air from North Africa will start sweeping into Greece from Wednesday, pushing temperatures as high as 39-40 degrees Celsius.

In its annual report, the National Observatory's Meteo weather service noted that 2022 was among the warmest years on record, due mainly to an extended heatwave in July and record-high temperatures in December, but also saw unusual levels of snowfall last January, during the storm dubbed Elpida.

A cold snap that swept across Greece in the early hours of Tuesday sent temperatures in the north of the country plunging to -8 degrees Celsius in Florina and -4 in Kozani, the National Observatory's Meteo weather service reported.

Temperatures in Greece will climb up to 35 degrees Celsius in parts of Greece on Sunday and Monday, while the wind will facilitate the transfer of dust from North Africa, according to the National Observatory's Meteo weather service.

The heat will be felt mostly in central parts of the mainland and will remain between 32 and 35 degrees in the rest of the country.

Unusually hot weather for this time of year is forecast in Greece over the weekend, with some areas expected to see temperatures jump to 40 degrees Celsius, before gradually dropping at the start of next week, the National Observatory's Meteo weather service said on Thursday.

After an unseasonably warm start to the week on Monday, daytime highs on Tuesday will reach 35 degrees Celsius in Thessaly and other parts of the eastern mainland, with the Greek capital expected to see a high of 30C and the northern port city of Thessaloniki of 29C.

After the wet conditions that prevailed in several parts of Greece in the last 24 hours, the weather improved on Thursday and is expected to remain sunny until Saturday, according to the National Observatory's Meteo weather service.

Daylight highs will range in the mid-to-high 20s Celsius all through Easter Sunday (April 19) and winds will not exceed 6 on the Beaufort scale.

A woman walks along the waterfront in Flisvos on Athens' southern coast on Tuesday, where strong winds stirred up the sea and sent waves crashing onto the promenade.