Western Greece was battered by a wave of severe weather on Thursday (October 2), and it is expected to spread across the country through Friday, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail and strong winds, meteorologists have warned. All schools and municipal nurseries were ordered by the local government to stay closed on Thursday, on the popular holiday island of Zakynthos, while the General Secretariat for Civil Protection has urged residents to take precautions and local authorities remain on alert after General Secretariat for Civil Protection.
The first storm struck the Ionian islands late Wednesday, prompting the 112 emergency alert service to issue warnings to residents. Messages were also sent to residents in the western Peloponnese regions of Achaia, Ilia and Messinia. Officials said the most dangerous weather is expected on Thursday in Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Achaia, Ilia, Messinia, Laconia and central Macedonia. The storm is forecast to move eastward on Friday towards Thrace, eastern Macedonia, the eastern Aegean islands and the Dodecanese.
Heavy rain also hit Zakynthos’ northern neighbour, Corfu, where firefighters were called to rescue a British family of three. Their car became stuck in mud on a steep dirt road in the Drastis area in the north of the island. Authorities said the couple and their child were unharmed.
The Greek Risk Assessment Committee convened on Wednesday and did so again today to evaluate the latest data.
This significant weather event has been driven by cold air masses originating from the upper atmosphere over central Europe. These masses are expected to channel through the Adriatic Sea, intensifying conditions across the Greek mainland, islands and northern borders.
“Most areas of Greece will be affected by strong phenomena,” said the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) in its bulletin, urging residents to prepare for potential disruptions, including flooding, power outages and travel delays.
The EMY has flagged particularly dangerous conditions in select areas, where storms could lead to flash floods, strong winds and damaging hail. This includes the Ionian Islands of Zakynthos and Kefalonia and the western and southern Peloponnese on Thursday until early afternoon and then Central Macedonia from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.
This storm follows a pattern of increasingly volatile autumn weather in the Mediterranean. Earlier this week, many passengers attempting to return home to the UK saw their flights delayed, cancelled or diverted at Zakynthos Airport due to stormy weather and flash floods.
Earlier this week, Brits holidaying in Valencia in Spain shared that they were stuck inside for 24 hours after the city was hit by heavy rain from Storm Gabrielle. More than half a million students in the city had lessons cancelled on Monday, after over 240 local councils in the region closed their schools as a precaution.
This came less than a year after the deadly DANA storm of October 29. Torrential rain caused by an isolated low-pressure area at high levels brought over a year’s worth of rain to several areas in eastern Spain nearly a year ago, including Valencia and Andalusia. The resulting floodwaters caused the deaths of about 232 people.