Greece records hottest ever winter, raising fears of summer fires

This winter was the hottest on record for Greece, according to data analysed by Greek scientists, threatening the viability of crops and raising fears of another summer of devastating wildfires.

From December to February, the average peak temperature was 11.3 degrees Celsius (52.3 Farenheit), 1.8 degrees above the average top winter temperatures from 1960-2024, soaring as much as 7-8 degrees higher in some parts of northern Greece, according to the National Observatory of Athens, which analysed data by the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Indeed, it was the warmest winter since records began in 1936, and follows a trend: six of Greece's balmiest winters have been recorded in the last 10 years.

"Temperatures were above normal on most days, with only small intervals of cold weather," Konstantinos Lagouvardos, research director at the national observatory,...