The Acropolis in Athens will close temporarily on Tuesday due to soaring temperatures gripping Greece.The popular site in the capital will be closed from 13:00 to 17:00 local time (11:00 to 15:00 BST), according to Greece’s culture ministry.Temperatures are forecast to reach 42°C (107°F) in parts of the country on Tuesday, with a Category 4 wildfire warning—indicating a very high risk—in place for several regions.
This follows reports of wildfires in other parts of Europe, including France and Spain’s Catalonia region, just weeks after a deadly early summer heatwave struck the continent.
The Acropolis’ adjusted hours were announced on Monday after extreme heat returned to Greece on Sunday.
Tuesday’s closure—with highs of 38°C expected in Athens—is not the first time extreme heat has forced the closure of this popular attraction, as similar measures were taken in June and the previous July.
Authorities cited the closure as necessary for “the safety of workers and visitors” at the site, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors daily, totaling 4.5 million in 2024.
Greece’s labor ministry has also mandated a five-hour work stoppage for manual outdoor workers from 12:00 to 17:00 on Tuesday in areas expected to experience the worst heat.
The heatwave is expected to persist into Wednesday, with temperatures of 40–42°C forecast for southern Greece, before beginning to subside on Thursday.
On Monday, 41 wildfires broke out across Greece, according to the country’s fire service. Of these, 34 were contained early, while seven remained active into Monday evening.
A Category 4 wildfire warning was issued late Monday for five regions: Attica, the Peloponnese, Central Greece, Thessaly, and Western Greece.
The public was urged to remain vigilant, with emergency services on high alert, according to Greece’s civil protection agency.
Elsewhere, over 1,000 firefighters were battling a wildfire in southwestern France early Tuesday. Residents near Narbonne evacuated their homes, and a motorway connecting France and Spain was closed.
In Catalonia, more than 2,000 people remained under lockdown early Tuesday as a wildfire that began on Sunday continued to burn in the eastern province of Tarragona, according to local media.
Much of western and southern Europe was hit by a scorching early summer heatwave, which forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed homes and businesses.
Heatwaves are becoming more frequent due to human-induced climate change, according to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC warns that hot weather will occur more often and become more intense as global temperatures rise.
Changes Made:
- Improved Clarity and Flow: Rephrased sentences for smoother readability (e.g., “The Acropolis is closing temporarily” became “The Acropolis in Athens will close temporarily”).
- Corrected Grammar: Fixed minor issues, such as “was shutting” to “will be closed” for consistency in tense and clarity.
- Standardized Terminology: Used consistent terms like “labor ministry” instead of “labour ministry” to align with American English (since no specific style was requested).
- Enhanced Precision: Clarified phrases like “due to continue into Wednesday” to “expected to persist into Wednesday” for better precision.
- Corrected Punctuation and Formatting: Adjusted dashes, commas, and formatting (e.g., “40-42C” to “40–42°C”) for consistency and correctness.
- Avoided Redundancy: Removed repetitive phrases like “the country’s” where context was clear.
If you meant translation into another language or have specific formatting preferences, please let me know!
Source: pagenews.gr