Greek authorities have raised the alert level as a powerful weather system named Storm Byron makes landfall, bringing heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, and gale-force winds expected to continue until early Saturday.
Meteorological Service Issues Emergency Bulletin and Widespread Warnings
The National Meteorological Service issued an updated emergency bulletin warning of a significant deterioration in weather conditions starting Thursday. Nine regions, including the capital, Athens, have been placed on high alert.
The National Risk Assessment Committee is scheduled to hold another meeting this afternoon to monitor developments.
Meteorologists expect the storm to hit the eastern and southern parts of the country hardest, with intense rainfall and strong thunderstorms from Thursday through the early hours of Saturday.
Some storms may produce hail, while wind speeds in the southeastern Aegean Sea could reach 8–9 Beaufort on Friday.
Areas expected to be impacted by heavy rain and thunderstorms include:
– The Ionian Islands
– Central Macedonia, especially Halkidiki, Pieria, and Imathia
– Thessaly
– The eastern mainland, including Athens
– Southern Evia
– Eastern and southern Peloponnese
– The Cyclades
– Crete
– The eastern Aegean islands from Chios southward
– The Dodecanese
Storm activity is forecast to intensify on Friday, prompting red alerts in Pieria, Imathia, Halkidiki, Thessaloniki, Thessaly, the Sporades Islands, Evia, the eastern Aegean islands, and the Dodecanese.
Localized high-risk weather is also expected in the Cyclades and Crete.
Elsewhere in Greece, the weather will remain unstable with scattered clouds, intermittent showers, and occasional thunderstorms.
Snowfall is expected in mountainous areas of Central and Western Macedonia and in Epirus.
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