Greece weather: clouds, local rain and storms forecast for Friday before weekend warm-up

Friday's unsettled picture

Greece will see a day of mixed conditions on Friday 5 June, with cloud cover increasing in many regions and localised rain or storms expected, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY). The most affected areas will be the eastern mainland, Evia, the Sporades and the northern Aegean, where clouds will be densest through the morning and afternoon hours. Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible in these zones, particularly during the morning. In the rest of the country, conditions will start generally clear before midday cloud development over the mainland, mainly in mountainous areas, brings local showers or downpours.

Visibility will be locally limited in the morning hours and fog will form in the western and northern mainland.

Improvement is expected from the late afternoon onward, with conditions gradually stabilising into the evening.

Regional breakdown

In Attica, the day will begin mostly clear before temporary midday and afternoon clouds bring short-duration local rain. Winds will be variable and light, turning southerly at 3 to 4 Beaufort around noon, with temperatures ranging from 19 to 29 degrees Celsius. Thessaloniki will see a similar pattern: generally clear skies giving way to afternoon clouds and local downpours, mainly in the mountains, with temperatures between 18 and 28 degrees.

Macedonia and Thrace will experience the most active weather. Eastern Macedonia and Thrace will see locally increased cloud through the afternoon, with temporary rain or downpours and possible scattered storms, especially in the morning. A second round of cloud build-up is expected in the midday and afternoon, likely producing downpours in the mountains of central and eastern Macedonia and Thrace. Winds will be variable at 3 to 4 Beaufort, and temperatures will reach 16 to 29 degrees, though western Macedonia will be 2 to 3 degrees cooler.

The Ionian Islands, Epirus, western Sterea and western Peloponnese will remain generally clear, with afternoon cloud development bringing local mountain downpours. Winds will be west-northwesterly at 3 to 4 Beaufort, and temperatures will reach 17 to 28 degrees, with the interior of Epirus 2 to 4 degrees lower.

Winds and temperatures

Winds across the country will blow from westerly directions in the west and south at 3 to 4 Beaufort, while eastern areas will see variable light winds. In the southeastern Aegean, southerly winds may temporarily reach 5 to 6 Beaufort during the morning hours. Meteorologist Sakis Arnaoutoglou noted that gusts in the Cyclades could reach 7 to 8 Beaufort.

Temperatures will show no significant change from previous days. Most regions will reach 26 to 27 degrees Celsius, while the eastern mainland will climb to 29 to 30 degrees. In areas affected by rain and storms, the mercury will stay closer to 24 to 25 degrees.

Weekend outlook

Conditions will begin to improve from Saturday 6 June, with instability becoming confined mainly to the mountainous parts of the mainland. Sunday and Monday are expected to bring generally clear weather, with only a few local showers in the mountains of central and northern Greece.

Temperatures will return to summery levels over the weekend, reaching 30 to 32 degrees in the lowland areas. Meteorologist Klearchos Marousakis indicated that some mainland regions could see the thermometer touch 35 degrees by early next week. A reinforced northerly wind in the Aegean from the start of the week will bring a cooler feel, particularly in the east.

Be careful regarding fires, we are in a season where fire outbreaks are favoured.