This autumn in Athens was the warmest in 160 years

Autumn this year was the warmest in the last 160 years. Cold nights were rare as the average minimum temperature reached +18.5°C.

Athens experienced its warmest autumn this year since the mid-19th century, experts said, another clear sign of ongoing climate change.

The thermometers were off the charts; October and November resembled summer. In addition, it is assumed that 2023 will be the hottest year on the planet in 174 years, while fixed data exists.

Average maximum autumn air temperaturerecorded by the Thisio meteorological observatory (ιστορικό σταθμό του Αστεροσκοπείου στο Θησείο), was +21.7 ° C.

It was warm not only during lunch hours. The average minimum air temperature reached +18.5 °C, which means that there were few cold nights. Tellingly, according to the observatory, all three categories (average, maximum and minimum temperatures) experienced the highest temperatures this fall.

Data processing and comparison with the older dimensions that are recorded in the historical archive of the Meteorological Station of the Athenian National Observatory in TISIO, conducted the research director of Dr. Dimitra Fudas, Dr. Georgios Katavutas and Franciscosis of the Ecological and Sustainable Research of the EAOS (ινστούτο ευνώνώνών Περιβάλλοντος και Βιώσιμης Ανάπτυξης του ΕΕΑ).

According to the EEA research team, “Autumn 2023 (September-November) was the warmest ever recorded in Athens since records have been available (mid-19th century). Falls 2019 and 2012 take second and third place.”

“High temperatures autumn 2023 in Athens are mainly associated with October and November and in to a lesser extent with September. In particular, November 2023 became the warmest November ever recorded in Athens since the mid-19th century, breaking any previous record for at least the last 160 years. October 2023 also turned out to be one of the warmest on record (3rd place in the historical time series),” the researchers report.

It’s typical that October 2023 was the month with the most hours of at least moderate thermal discomfort due to heataccording to the UTCI Global Thermal Climate Index, which takes into account parameters other than temperature such as humidity, wind speed and solar radiation.

According to the UTCI index, during October 2023, conditions of moderate thermal discomfort prevailed, with a percentage of about 21% (156 hours in total). In fact, such conditions were observed on 29 of 31 days in October and lasted from 2 to 7 hours per day (measurements were taken in the center of Athens).

“This percentage is the highest recorded at Thissios station since 1960 (where continuous measurements of solar radiation are carried out and the UTCI index can be calculated) and demonstrates seasonal shifts and an increase in the feeling of thermal discomfort due to heat in the autumn period. It has direct impacts on critical sectors of the national economy, such as healthcare, tourism, energy etc.,” the researchers report.

However, at the national level October and November this year were the warmest months in the last 15 years, according to the meteo.gr network of 51 meteorological stations of the National Observatory of Athens (EAA). In fact, across almost the entire country, temperatures hovered at extremely high levels compared to the average for the 2010-2019 period.

In October, maximum values ​​were significantly higher than normal levels for the period: by 3.5°C in Macedonia and Thrace, by 2.8°C in Thessaly and by 2.7°C in Central Greece, Epirus, Western Greece and the Peloponnese . In November, in Thessaly, the Aegean Sea and Crete, positive air temperature deviations amounted to 2.5°C, and in Central Greece – 2.1°C.

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