Greece is shifting into a distinctly autumnal weather pattern over the coming days, with increased cloud cover and rain expected to concentrate over Attica and Crete, forecasters said Monday.
Meteorologist Sakis Arnaoutoglou said these two regions will see the bulk of the unsettled weather, with sunshine proving harder to come by, particularly in Crete's mountainous and northern areas, as the seasonal shift persists in the coming days.
Former National Meteorological Service director Theodoris Kolydas said Greece is entering a "clearly more autumnal period," with temperatures returning closer to seasonal norms and more frequent weather changes.
In a Facebook post, Mr. Kolydas said the start of October brings increased instability, with successive disturbances likely to bring rain and local storms, initially focused on western Greece, Epirus and the Peloponnese, before periodically extending to parts of northern Greece and the Aegean.
Mr. Kolydas said the pattern does not point to prolonged, nationwide bad weather, but rather alternating spells of rain and temporary improvement typical of the season.
He added that temperatures are unlikely to return to the unusually high levels seen in recent weeks, while winds will periodically strengthen, particularly in the Aegean.
In a follow-up post, Mr. Kolydas said rain will begin Wednesday, Sept. 30, with similar conditions continuing Thursday, concentrated mainly in southern Greece and especially Crete.
Citing a comparison of the ICON-EU, ECMWF and GFS forecasting models based on Monday's data, he said the heaviest rainfall is increasingly expected to shift toward Crete, though the models still show notable disagreement on intensity from Wednesday onward.