The strong north winds that blow every summer in the Aegean Sea hit record strengths at the end of July, whipping on the wildfires afflicting much of Greece, according to weather data made public Monday.
According to the National Observatory of Athens, the etesian, or meltemi, winds hit a maximum gust of 111 kilometers an hour at Fourfouras in the Rethymno region of Crete – which suffered devastating wildfires last week – that was the highest since the monitoring station opened in 2010.
At Plakias, also in the Rethymno region, the maximum 114 kilometers an hour is the highest etesian wind speed since the station opened in 2012.
On Mount Pendeli, on the northern outskirts of Athens, the monitoring station in place since 2013 recorded a maximum gust of 113 kilometers an hour, a high since 2022. A second station on the same mountain recorded a 150-kmh gust on July 31, but as it has only been functioning since 2025 there are no comparative data.
A station on Mount Parnitha, further to the west, recorded a high of 109 kmh, last seen in 2025 and 2024, while at Karystos on the southern tip of Evia island the maximum gust last month was 150 kmh – a record since the station opened in 2013.
