ATHENS

Central and southern Greece had the hottest July in 14 years, the National Observatory of Athens said on Wednesday.

In the middle of a heat wave, this year's July month's average daily temperatures fluctuated much higher than the average for the period 2010-2019, according to the office with a network of 52 meteorological stations that have been operational continuously since 2010.

The temperature on Crete Island, 160 kilometers (99 miles) south of the Greek mainland, exceeded 2.8 degrees Celsius above the normal seasonal temperature.

The largest positive temperature deviations were recorded across the country between July 13 and 27, with maximum positive deviation values exceeding 10 degrees Celsius.

Last month, numerous forest fires occurred in Greece, where record-breaking temperatures and low humidity levels were observed.

The seven major forest fires that broke out in the country between July 15 and July 31 burned around 470,000 acres (190,202 hectares) of forested areas.