A wildfire that broke out on Friday, July 31, in southern Boeotia and spread into Attica is now in its third day, burning under difficult conditions driven by strong northerly winds, according to the National Observatory of Athens and its meteo.gr service.
METEO/NOA said around midday on Sunday that north and north-westerly winds in the area were expected to remain strong, with average speeds of 30 to 40 kilometres per hour and gusts reaching 60 to 70 kilometres per hour.
A gradual easing is forecast from the afternoon and more notably during the evening hours, with average speeds dropping to 20 to 30 kilometres per hour. The winds have already weakened somewhat compared to previous days, forecasters noted.
However, METEO/NOA cautioned that from Monday morning winds are expected to strengthen again over the wider fire zone, with average speeds of 25 to 35 kilometres per hour. Forecasters also noted that moisture levels in fine dead forest fuels are expected to fall slightly compared to previous days due to slightly higher temperatures anticipated on Monday.
