ATHENS — The heatwave of the last few days is subsiding, according to the forecasts of the National Observatory of Athens weather service Meteo.gr, as strong northerly winds that will start to blow from Friday and for the next few days, especially in the Aegean, will cause temperatures to drop closer to normal levels for the season.

The high winds will also bring an increased risk of fire over a large part of the mainland and on both the Aegean and Ionian islands, however, according to the Canadian Fire and Meteorological Index, which is calculated by meteo.gr and is included in the services and products developed within the DISARM research program.

Wind speeds on Friday are forecast to reach 7 Beaufort on the eastern mainland, the Aegean and the Ionian Sea, while locally in the northern Ionian Sea it may reach 8 Beaufort. The strong winds will result in an increased risk of fire in a large part of the mainland, but also the Aegean and Ionian islands,

The risk of fires starting and spreading is estimated as very high in Central Macedonia, Thrace, east Central Greece (including Attica), Evia, the southwest Peloponnese, southern Crete, the Ionian Islands and all the Aegean islands.