Severe Storms Hit Greece, Red Alert for Eight Regions

A severe weather system intensified across Greece on Tuesday, bringing torrential rain, thunderstorms, and gale-force winds. The National Meteorological Service upgraded its warning to the highest level for dangerous weather phenomena, while Civil Protection placed eight regional units under a "Red Code" mobilization alert until Wednesday.

The worst flooding struck the Attica region, particularly Perama, Mandra, Aspropyrgos, and Salamina. Automated stations of the National Observatory of Athens recorded a catastrophic rainfall rate of 160 mm per hour in Perama at 19:15, with Paleokoundoura in Mandra accumulating 56.6 mm total by 19:00.

“The National Meteorological Service has upgraded the emergency bulletin to a bulletin of dangerous weather phenomena, issuing a red warning for areas of the country and an orange warning for Attica.”

Traffic police implemented road restrictions across the Athens basin as streets turned into rivers. Authorities warned of continued heavy downpours, hail, and localized flooding through Wednesday morning, mainly in northern Attica.

The storm front is expected to shift eastward on Wednesday, targeting the Sporades, Evia, the Aegean islands, and Crete with very high rainfall totals. Winds in the North Aegean will reach 9-10 Beaufort with gusts up to 100 km/h, easing only by Wednesday evening.

Schools remained closed on Wednesday in the eight regions under Red Code alert: the Evia regional unit, and areas in Central Greece, Thessaly, and the Aegean.