Greek authorities have warned of a severe weather event which is expected to sweep over the country late Tuesday and peak on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms, gusty winds, and possibly hail.
The weather is driven by a double cyclogenesis in the Mediterranean associated with heavy precipitation that has already brought storms in parts of western Europe.
Storm Erminio is gathering strength over the Central Mediterranean and is scheduled to move in from the East, before spreading to most areas of the country during the day and Thursday, according to an emergency bulletin issued by the National Meteorological Service (EMY) for 11 regions.
Tuesday will see increased cloudiness with local rain or drizzle mainly in the west, the north, the eastern Aegean and Crete. Sporadic storms will occur in the Ionian Sea mainly from early afternoon, and snow is forecast in mountainous areas of northern Greece.
Winds will blow south to southwest 3 to 5 on the Beaufort scale, only to strengthen at night. The temperature will not change significantly and will reach 16 to 18 degrees Celsius.
On Wednesday morning, the wet weather system will create a surface low in Libya that will move rapidly north-northeast, unleashing intense thunderstorms and in some cases hail, around the country that will last all day.
EMY has issued a red warning for the eastern Peloponnese, Central Greece, Evia, Thessaly, the Sporades Islands, Attica, and the Dodecanese, and an orange warning for the Cyclades, and the islands of the eastern Aegean.
The temperature will drop from its maximum values and will reach 14 to 17 degrees Celsius in most areas.
On Thursday, heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast in the western and southern Peloponnese, eastern Thessaly, the regional units of Central Macedonia (Pieria, Imathia, Chalkidiki, and Serres), Crete (mainly western and southern parts), the islands of the eastern Aegean, and the Dodecanese.
The weather instability is expected to ease on Friday.