The warmest June ever recorded in Hellas it is estimated to be this year’s based on the temperatures so far this month across the country.

As the IEPVA/EAA research director, Dr. Kostas Lagouvardos first assessment is that June 2024 “will be the hottest overall of all we have seen”, however at the end of the month the final conclusion will be drawn. According to Mr. Lagouvardos, the first assessment is that it is definitely a very hot June, the hottest in duration in average values ​​ever, while as he explains the temperatures are particularly high both in terms of maximum values ​​and minimum values.

This, according to Mr. Lagouvardos, creates a continuous heat stress in people. “It’s much more aggravating in my opinion than having a single 3-4 day heat wave and prices the rest of the days being close to normal or slightly above normal than to have consecutive, significant upward deviations “, he notes.

Within the first half of 2024, with the exception of May, the remaining months record prices above normal levels for the season. “From July 2023, all regions of the country had temperatures above the normal levels for the season, with the exception of May, which in Northern and Central Greece was slightly below normal.

In Eastern Sterea, Peloponnese and Crete for 12 consecutive months the temperatures are continuously above normal with a non-existent winter”, Mr. Lagouvardos points out to APE-MPE and adds that it seems that a change is consolidating. “The persistence of high temperatures for long periods is what worries us the most,” he underlines.

Heatwave conditions were also recorded in June 2007 and 2019 but none seem to have averaged the values ​​recorded this year.

“In 2007, we had the highest temperature recorded in Athens, in the center, in Thisio, it was 44.8 degrees. But it was a short period of a few days. But as a month it wasn’t particularly hot”, highlights Mr. Lagouvardos and adds that high temperatures are expected next week as well.

“What stands out is that since the beginning of the month the temperatures have been very high. As our data shows, we will continue to experience high temperatures. probably next week we will see quite high temperatures in the east as well, without meltemia”, notes Mr. Lagouvardos.

At the same time, in June this year, according to the data so far, the rains are particularly limited, which makes June 2024 not only a warm but also quite a dry month. According to scientists, the phenomenon of hot-dry-windy prevails during this period due to the strong winds that are blowing. At the same time, the flammability of dead fuel in the forests is a very large fact which, as Mr. Lagouvardos explains, makes the situation even more difficult.

“The moisture content of dead fuel is very low,” he points out.

In addition, high sea surface temperature values ​​are observed in the Mediterranean and mainly in the Eastern Mediterranean in mid-June 2024, according to climatebook.gr. In particular, as reported by climatebook.gr, in the Eastern Mediterranean the sea temperature is at high levels for the season with temperature deviations of the order of 2-3°C above the normal levels for the season, while the largest positive deviations are observed in areas of the Aegean Sea and the Levant Sea.

“Marine heatwave conditions prevail in almost the entire Eastern Mediterranean (except the Ionian Sea) and the Black Sea[1, 2, 3] category 1, while in the Libyan Sea and the Levant Sea there is sea heat category 2 and 3”, notes the climatebook.