A weather front, dubbed Elena, is hitting Greece, bringing intense cold, heavy rainfall, and snow to mountain regions.
The heavy rainfall that affected Athens and the southern suburbs wreaked havoc on the Attica road network. It turned roads into rivers, bringing vehicle movement to a near standstill.
It also caused significant damage and flooding at the Faliro Olympic Complex (SEF), both inside and outside the stadium.
The storm’s intensity is expected to ease on Friday, but a new weather system with even more severe winter characteristics is already approaching from the northeast.
On Thursday, heavy rainfall affected areas from Macedonia to Crete and Rhodes, with the heaviest rain falling across Evia, Attica, and parts of central Greece, including Viotia and Hania in Crete.
Key areas included Vilia in Attica, which saw 152.2 mm of rain.
The severe storm that hit Athens also caused substantial damage in Evia, Greece’s second-largest island, situated about an hour’s drive from the capital. As local media report, the Messapios River which flows across the island began to swell late Wednesday night, prompting authorities to stay on alert.
severe flooding had inundated roads in the village of Maletiani, part of the Kymi municipal district. The heavy rainfall also resulted in the disruption of the local water supply network.
Snowstorms hit mountainous regions
In addition, snowstorms hit mountainous regions, such as Parnitha, which remained covered in snow, as did higher altitudes on Mount Parnassus and the Kalavryta area, where strong winds caused treacherous conditions.
As a result, the Parnassus ski center was closed, and significant traffic jams formed along roads leading to Kalavryta.
Some ski resorts, like those in Pindos and Florina, also had to close temporarily due to strong winds.
Greece advises precautions for weather front Elena
Most of Greece will see the storm weaken on Friday, but parts of Crete will continue to face heavy rain.
Strong northeasterly winds will persist over the Aegean and parts of central Greece through the weekend.
The General Secretariat of Civil Protection recommends that citizens take measures to protect themselves from risks arising from severe weather phenomena.
At the same time, it has informed the competent government agencies involved as well as the regions and municipalities of the country, so that they are on increased readiness, to immediately deal with the effects of the occurrence of extreme weather phenomena.
Citizens can be updated daily on the development of extraordinary weather phenomena in the regular weather reports of EMY and on the website of EMY on the website www.emy.gr.