Ioannidis et al. (2025) A Climatology of Heatwaves Over Greece for the Period 1960–2022

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Identification

• Journal: International Journal of Climatology
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-12-01
• Authors: Panagiotis Ioannidis, Anna Mamara, Vasileios Armaos, Athanassios A. Argiriou
• DOI: 10.1002/joc.70204

Research Groups

Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS)

Short Summary

This study presents a climatology of Heatwave Events (HEs) over Greece from 1960 to 2022, revealing significant positive trends in heatwave frequency, duration, and severity across most of the country, particularly in northern and western regions, with notable shifts occurring between the 1970s and 2010s.

Objective

• To establish a comprehensive climatology of Heatwave Events (HEs) over Greece from 1960 to 2022, analyzing their frequency, duration, and severity.
• To classify HEs into five intensity categories based on maximum daily temperature thresholds to better understand their intensity.
• To examine the interannual, seasonal, and monthly occurrence of HEs and compare them across seven distinct climate regions of Greece.
• To identify trends and changepoints in HE characteristics over the study period.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Greece, encompassing seven distinct climate regions, utilizing data from 67 weather stations.
• Temporal Scale: 1960 to 2022 (63 years).

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Statistical methods for trend analysis and changepoint analysis (Pettitt's test). Heatwave intensity classification based on percentile-based thresholds of maximum daily temperature.
• Data sources: Daily maximum temperature data from 67 weather stations operated by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS).

Main Results

• Positive trends in heatwave frequency (HF) were observed in nearly 80% of stations across Greece and in all intensity categories, particularly during spring and summer.
• Heatwave duration (HD) showed positive trends, mostly during summer and autumn.
• Heatwave severity (HS) exhibited positive trends, predominantly during spring, though with lower percentages compared to HF.
• Negative trends in HS were observed at a small number of stations.
• Spatial analysis indicated that northern and western Greece were the most affected regions by HEs, although changes were evident throughout the country.
• Changepoint analysis using Pettitt's test revealed significant changes in HF and HD occurring between the 1970s and 2010s.
• The number of stations showing significant changes decreased as the intensity of the heatwave categories increased.

Contributions

• Provides the first comprehensive and updated climatology of Heatwave Events over Greece for the period 1960-2022, utilizing a dense network of 67 national meteorological stations.
• Offers a detailed analysis of heatwave characteristics (frequency, duration, severity) across five distinct intensity categories.
• Identifies specific spatial patterns and temporal trends (interannual, seasonal, monthly) of heatwaves across seven climate regions of Greece.
• Pinpoints significant changepoints in heatwave frequency and duration, contributing to a better understanding of the timing of climate shifts in the region.

Funding

Not specified in the abstract.

Citation

@article{Ioannidis2025Climatology,
  author = {Ioannidis, Panagiotis and Mamara, Anna and Armaos, Vasileios and Argiriou, Athanassios A.},
  title = {A Climatology of Heatwaves Over Greece for the Period 1960–2022},
  journal = {International Journal of Climatology},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.1002/joc.70204},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1002/joc.70204}
}