Strong winds will continue to blow tomorrow, Saturday 15 August, the Feast of the Assumption (known in Greece as Dekapentavgoustos), significantly raising the risk of wildfires in parts of the country. Greece’s Civil Protection authority has placed a number of regions under Red Code mobilisation status.

In the Cyclades, winds will locally reach force nine on the Beaufort scale, while south of Crete gusts are expected to exceed 100 km/h.

The following areas will be under Red Code mobilisation status for Saturday 15 August 2026

The Attica region, including the island of Kythira

The regional units of Corinth, Argolis and Laconia, within the Peloponnese region

The regional units of Achaea and Ilia, within the Western Greece region

The regional units of Boeotia, Phthiotis and Evia, within the Central Greece region, including the island of Skyros

The Sporades regional unit, within the Thessaly region

The North Aegean region

The South Aegean region

The Crete region

The Chalkidiki regional unit and Mount Athos, within the Central Macedonia region

The regional units of Kavala, Thasos, Xanthi, Rhodope and Evros, within the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region, including the island of Samothrace, as the Daily Fire Risk Forecast Map team at the General Secretariat for Civil Protection has assessed the wildfire risk in these areas as Very High (risk category four)

Red Code mobilisation status calls for full-scale readiness, deploying the necessary personnel and equipment to prepare for the threat and to manage the consequences should a destructive event occur, along with measures for short-term recovery and support to mitigate the impact of any disaster.

Municipalities and regional authorities in the areas listed above have been asked to convene their Local and Regional Civil Protection Operational Coordination Bodies without delay, to review readiness and response measures ahead of potential forest fires.

Force nine winds in the Aegean

Greece’s Risk Assessment Committee met again today, Friday 14 August, at the invitation of the General Secretary for Civil Protection, Nikos Papaefstathiou, with the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Evangelos Tournas, in attendance, to discuss the gale to storm force winds affecting large parts of the country.

According to the committee’s scientists, very strong to gale force winds will persist tomorrow, Saturday 15 August, mainly across the eastern and southern parts of the country.

More information

In Thrace, north to north-easterly winds of five to seven on the Beaufort scale are expected, reaching six to eight in the islands of the north and north-east Aegean.

In the eastern and southern Peloponnese, winds will reach five to seven on the Beaufort scale.

In the Attica-Boeotia area and Evia, northerly winds of six to seven on the Beaufort scale are expected, locally reaching eight by the afternoon.

In the central Aegean, winds will reach seven to eight, locally nine by the afternoon, while in the Cyclades they will blow at a force of seven to eight, locally nine in the north.

In Crete, northerly winds will reach six to eight on the Beaufort scale, with gusts in the south of the island expected to exceed 100 km/h.

In Kasos and Karpathos, north-westerly winds will reach seven to eight on the Beaufort scale.

On Sunday 16 August, strong winds will initially persist in several areas. In Attica-Boeotia they will reach five to seven on the Beaufort scale, in southern Evia six to eight, and in the Cyclades, Crete, Kasos and Karpathos five to seven, locally eight.

The winds are expected to weaken further from Sunday afternoon onwards.