ATHENS (Reuters) – Greeks went to public beaches and parks on Sunday, when a rare January heat wave offered a respite from the coronavirus blockade that left life across Europe in disarray.
With temperatures in Athens set to reach 23 Celsius (73.4 Fahrenheit), people rested on the sand, swam in the sea and strolled on the Athens boardwalk while the police patrolled to control the crowd.
In the past 50 years, these high temperatures in January have been seen only twice: in 1987 and 2010, said the National Observatory of Athens.
“It is not normal. It was cold last year, ”said Kyriakos Pitoulis, 65. “On the other hand, it helps because people are locked up at home and want to go somewhere to vent. They cannot stay at home all the time. “
Greece has been in partial blockade since early November, with people forced to wear masks in public. On Friday, authorities extended restrictions, including a ban on public meetings, until at least January 18, as they strive to slow the rise in infections, especially in the north.
After one of the hottest years on record worldwide, last year, masses of hot air and dust from the African continent smothered Athens’ central horizon, with a temperature gauge on Sunday showing 31 ° C in the sun.
That compared to the average January temperature across Greece ranging from below zero to 5ºC, or 10ºC at most in coastal regions, said the National Meteorological Service (EMY).
Meteorologists said the hot front, which arrived on Saturday, is expected to recede in the coming days.
Other parts of Europe have experienced extreme cold.
“Time is driving us crazy! because we see snow, cold and disasters in Europe, in Spain and here we have beautiful days, we have sun ”, said the bather Pavlos Vlachos.
Reporting by Deborah Kyvrikosaios, edited by James Mackenzie and Barbara Lewis