Fall and winter shrinking due to climate change

Snow covers the Runner, a sculpture by Kostas Varotsos, during a snowstorm, in Athens, February 6, 2023. [AP]

Climate change is effectively reducing the year's seasons to two, according to the head of the Greek Meteorological Society.

"We have observed the expansion of summer into the fall, while winter - especially the winter of 2023 - is showing higher temperatures, mainly because of climate change," Panagiotis Nastos told the Athens-Macedonian News Agency.

Noting a "pattern" that may become recurring, Nastos said Greece is likely to "start losing the in-between seasons and experience a protracted summer running into winter."

The Athens University professor noted that El Nino has contributed to the record temperatures recorded across the globe in 2023, but added that the phenomenon also affects the northerly "meltemi" winds that take the edge off the heat in summer. "This means less cooling in the Aegean, a greater sense of heat stress and more pollution in Athens,"...

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