A very high risk of wildfires is in effect for large parts of Greece on Tuesday, as a dangerous combination of gale-force winds and a heatwave with temperatures of up to 41 °C(106 F) has put emergency services on high alert.
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has issued a Category 4 "Very High Risk" warning for many regions. Authorities have imposed traffic bans in some forests and national parks to prevent fires from starting.
Meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos of the state broadcaster ERT reported that strong northerly "meltemi" winds in the Aegean Sea will reach up to 8 on the Beaufort scale.
While temperatures are expected to begin dropping on Wednesday, the strong winds will persist, maintaining an elevated fire risk.
A more significant cooldown is forecast for the Aug. 15 national holiday.
Officials are urging the public to be extremely cautious and to avoid any activity that could spark a fire.