Greece's hottest heatwave closes the Acropolis for the second day June 14, 2024

High temperatures have forced the Acropolis of Athens to close to visitors during the hottest hours of the day (Photo: STRINGER)

By AFP - Agence France Presse

Greece's hottest heatwave closes the Acropolis for the second day

The Acropolis of Athens, Greece's most visited tourist attraction, was closed to the public during the hottest hours of the day on Thursday for the second day in a row, as tourists suffered through the first heatwave in the country's history.

Tourists were unable to visit the Parthenon and other ancient masterpieces atop the UNESCO-listed archaeological site between noon and 5 p.m. local time (9 a.m. to 2 p.m. GMT).

Meteorologists noted that this is the first heatwave - which in Greece means temperatures exceeding 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least three days - ever recorded.

In central Athens, the mercury soared to 42°C, with the predicted heat prompting health alerts and school closures.

Even higher temperatures were recorded on the island of Crete - 44.5 C - and the Peloponnese peninsula - 43.9 degrees Celsius - according to the Athens National Observatory's meteo.gr website.

Several other Greek archaeological sites in Crete, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, and the Peloponnese have also been closed as a precaution against the heat.

Greece's climate crisis and civil protection minister, Vassilis Kikilias, warned of the risk of fire due to the strong winds that could blow across the country. Civil protection was on “high alert”, he added.

The risk of fire will be “very high” on Friday in ten regions, including Attica, which surrounds Athens, his ministry warned.

Temperatures are expected to drop from Friday.

The Acropolis was forced to close in July last year during a two-week heatwave that was unprecedented in its duration.

It was followed by fires which, according to the Athens National Observatory, consumed around 175,000 hectares (432,000 acres) of forests and farmland.

In 2023, a record number of almost four million visitors went to the Acropolis, whose popularity has increased partly due to tourists arriving on cruise ships that call at the nearby port of Piraeus.

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