Dangerous weather is expected across Greece over the next 48 hours as Storm Erminio places seven regions under red alert, authorities said.
The affected areas include Attica, Central Greece, Thessaly – including the Sporades islands – the Peloponnese, the South Aegean, and the regional units of Imathia and Pieria in Central Macedonia.
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast nationwide Wednesday, with conditions expected to be intense and long-lasting. Localized hailstorms are also possible.
Schools will remain closed in the Dodecanese and Cyclades, while they will operate as normal in Attica, except for night schools in the greater Athens area, which will be shut.
Forecasters said severe weather will develop in phases throughout the day. The Ionian islands will be affected from early morning, with southwestern parts of the Peloponnese following by midday under an orange alert. Eastern parts of the Peloponnese will face red alert conditions from late morning through the night, while eastern Central Greece, Evia, Thessaly and the Sporades will also be under red alert from midday onward.
Pieria will experience strong storms from midday to evening under an orange alert, while Attica will be hit by severe conditions from midday through late night under a red alert. The northern Cyclades will see storms from the afternoon under an orange alert, and the eastern Aegean islands will be affected from late afternoon under the same level of warning. The Dodecanese will face red alert conditions from the afternoon, while eastern Crete will experience severe weather later in the day under an orange alert.
Snowfall is expected in mountainous mainland areas, with heavy snow forecast in the mountains of Epirus and western Macedonia.
Weather conditions will also favor the transport of African dust, mainly affecting eastern and southern parts of the country.
Winds in western areas will blow from the east-southeast at moderate to strong intensity, strengthening further over the Ionian Sea. They will gradually shift to west-southwest in southern areas later in the day. In the east, winds will intensify significantly, particularly over the eastern Aegean, with the strongest gusts expected in the Dodecanese.
Temperatures will drop slightly in northern areas, where highs will reach 14 to 16 degrees Celsius. Western regions will see 16 to 17 degrees, while most other areas will range from 15 to 17 degrees, locally reaching 18 to 19 degrees in the south.