Southern winds shift to the west, bringing clearer skies. However, morning showers and strong thunderstorms are still forecasted in eastern Macedonia, Thrace, and Lemnos, according to EMY.

Meteorologist Thodoris Kolydas noted on social media that wind speeds are subsiding, dust is dispersing, and weather conditions should improve from Saturday morning.

Another meteorologist, Giorgos Tsatrafyllias, highlighted the high dust concentrations yesterday in Attica, Peloponnese, and Crete (over 130 μg/m³, nearly three times the limit), as well as in Cyclades and Dodecanese (over 110 μg/m³, nearly double the limit). He advised patience until today when the intense dust episode is expected to subside.

Strong Winds and Dust in Crete

On Friday, Crete experienced the highest temperatures, strongest winds, and highest dust levels nationwide. Wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h in Rethymno and Lassithi, with the peak gust reaching 137 km/h in Finokalia, Lassithi. Airborne particle concentrations approached 1000 μg/m³, marking one of the most significant dust events in recent years.

A photo from Rethymno illustrates the high dust levels, along with a chart showing the eight strongest wind gusts on May 16.

Forecast: Dust Will Decrease, Temperatures Will Rise

More details on dust levels in Crete: The air quality station at Rethymno’s City Hall recorded nearly 980 μg/m³ of dust on Friday, while another station in Adelé reported nearly 984 μg/m³. From early Saturday, dust is expected to clear across Greece.

Yesterday, dust concentrations in Attica caused limited visibility. Videos and photos show the dust cloud over Athens.

Today’s Weather

Expect localized showers, mainly over the Eastern Aegean islands, with brief rain and thunderstorms in the Ionian Islands and parts of mainland Greece during the warmest parts of the day, especially in mountainous areas. Dust levels will significantly decrease.

Temperatures will range from 5°C in Western Macedonia to 26°C in southern regions. Winds will blow from the west and northwest at 3-5 Beaufort on land, locally up to 6 Beaufort in southern seas.

In Athens, expect partly cloudy skies with a small chance of drizzle, with winds from the west-northwest at 3-5 Bf and temperatures between 18-26°C.

Thessaloniki will see rain clearing before dawn, with northwest winds at 3-4 Bf and temperatures from 12-23°C.

Weather on Sunday (18/05)

In eastern Aegean islands, partly cloudy skies with local rain mainly in the north during the morning. Elsewhere, generally clear with some afternoon clouds possibly causing isolated mountain showers. Winds will blow from the west-northwest at 3-5 Bf, locally up to 6 Bf in southern seas. Temperatures will be similar to Saturday, with no significant change.