The Wonderful Weather of Greece

The Greek area can be characterized by a large spectrum of atmospheric phenomena and climatic conditions, some of which have a high impact on many aspects of human activities, safety, and well-being. This region, due to its morphological structure and to geographical location, has long been considered as a hot spot of meteorological and climatological phenomena, deserving multidisciplinary scientific investigation. The scientific exploration that has been carried out on these high-impact atmospheric phenomena that occur in the major Greek area is indeed numerous and widespread, accompanied by the available national and international literature. The temperature and precipitation regimes are initially presented, followed by their analogous effects on heat waves, hailstorms, and floods. Emphasis is given to observed characteristics, extreme events, and past and future climate characteristics and trends. The characteristics of explosive cyclogenesis (meteorological “bombs”) and the “medicanes” (Mediterranean hurricanes) in the major area of interest are also presented. The weather modification activities, particularly those on hail suppression, are delineated and discussed. The climatological characteristics and the effects of climatic change on all the aforementioned atmospheric phenomena are considered throughout this study.