Main roads in Athens were closed to traffic and motorists trapped in the waters and flooded schools were evacuated following a heavy rainfall on Thursday morning.
Kolonaki, downtown Athens: I stood 20 minutes in the rain, unable to cross the street as volumes of waters were coming down like an angry river, flooding the streets and covering the pavements. In the end I managed to “dive in” because time was pressing and attended a 2-hour meeting in wet boots and socks, ice-cold feet and water dripping trousers.
Chronic problems in Athens no matter how heavy or light the rainfall.
Video: Thunderbolt strikes western Athens
With the whole of Greece in the grip of a bad weather front with rainfalls, thunderstorms and snow, National Meteorological Service EMY updated its emergency bulletin, while the Civil protection sent massively warning sms messages urging residents in several areas across the country to avoid unnecessary movements.
Civil Protection sms via emergency <112> to Athens and Attica residents.
Another heavy rainfall is forecast later on Thursday, between 5 and 8 p.m. The Civil Protections updated its warning recommendation to citizens short before 4 o’ clock in the afternoon.
Flooded kindergarten in Kallithea: A notorious problem, say locals like Spyros Gerardis who posted the pictures on FB.
Afternoon and evening schools will remain closed on Thursday, while an updated recommendation is expected for Friday.
Downtown Athens earlier: a waterfall from the garden of military hospital NIMITS.
Closed to traffic were parts of main avenues in Piraeus, Neo Faliro, Vouliagmenis Avenue, Hamosternas and others.
Fire fighters had to evacuate motorists stuck in the waters in the underpass of a main avenue in Marousi. The waters in the flooded underpass had reached the cars’ doors.
So far, the Fire Service has received over 100 calls to pump waters, cut trees and free people stuck in elevators due to power outages in several suburbs of the Greek capital.
Extensive power outages and variations in the current voltage have created problems in the Metro lines and Urban train ISAP schedules.
Updated Weather Warning
A significant worsening of the weather with locally dangerous phenomena is forecast until tomorrow Friday, Jan 27, with main features being heavy rains and storms, local hailstorms and heavy snowfalls in the continental highlands and semi-mountainous areas as well as in areas in the north with a relatively lower altitude.
The Emergency Bulletin of Dangerous Weather Phenomena issued on Tuesday (24/1) is updated according to the latest forecast data, while the National Meteorological Service EMY points out that there are no substantial differences from the original Bulletin.
Heavy rains and storms are forecast on Thursday, Jan 26, 2023 in:
- – until noon in the southernmost Ionian islands and western Peloponnese
- – in eastern Peloponnese, central and eastern Sterea (including Attica), Evia, Thessaly and the Sporades with weakening from the afternoon in central Sterea and Thessaly and from the evening hours in the rest of the regions
- – from noon in Cyclades islands and in central and eastern Macedonia, with weakening in the evening hours initially in central and gradually in eastern Macedonia
- – from late afternoon in Thrace and the islands of northern Aegean Sea
- – from the evening in eastern Aegean islands and at night in the Dodecanese.
Snowfall will occur in the continental mountainous-peninsular areas and locally in areas in the north with a relatively lower altitude which will be dense in places:
- – in western Macedonia and Epirus (with an indicative altitude of 500-600 meters and above)
- – in Thessaly (with an indicative altitude of 600-700 meters and above)
- – in the western and central Sterea (with an indicative altitude of 800-900 meters and above)
- – from noon in central and eastern Macedonia and Thrace (indicative altitude of 500-600 meters and above).
The southern winds in the Aegean Sea will gradually strengthen to 8 Beaufort and locally to 9 Beaufort.
Friday 27/01
Heavy rainfalls and storms are forecast in:
- until the early morning hours in Thrace, the northern Aegean islands and eastern Cyclades,
- until the morning hours in eastern Aegean islands and until noon in the Dodecanese.
Snowfalls will occur in the continental mountainous-semi-mountainous areas, which will be dense in places in Thrace (indicative altitude of 500-600 meters and above) until the early hours of the morning.
Southern winds will locally reach the southeast Aegean at 8 to 9 Beaufort in the morning hours.
As gale-force winds usually affect sea traffic, contact local port authorities and travel agents if you plan to travel by sea.