A powerful weather system named Byron swept across much of Greece on Friday, forcing widespread school closures, disrupting public services and causing severe travel delays as heavy rain and thunderstorms lashed large parts of the country.
Intense downpours hit Attica, the southern and eastern Peloponnese, Crete, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the Sporades, eastern Thessaly, central Macedonia and islands of the eastern and northern Aegean from the early morning hours.
Authorities sent repeated emergency alerts via the 112 system urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel and stay away from basements and ground floors. Flash flooding was reported in several areas, including Mandra, Alimos and Keratsini. The Athens-Corinth national highway was closed between Elefsina and Corinth due to flooding.
The Fire Service said its operations center received 331 calls between Thursday and 6 a.m. Friday across the Attica and Peloponnese regions, mainly for water pumping, tree removals and assistance to motorists. Most incidents in recent hours were concentrated in western Attica – including Mandra, Nea Peramos and Megara – while on Thursday crews responded to problems in Aspropyrgos, Elefsina, Piraeus, central Athens and southern suburbs.
The Attica Region ordered all primary and secondary schools closed on Friday. The Interior Ministry said public-sector employees unable to reach their workplaces due to the storm would be considered on lawful absence and urged commuters to travel only “under safe conditions.”
The country’s Risk Assessment Committee was scheduled to reconvene at noon to review evolving conditions.
The national meteorological service (EMY) forecast continued heavy rainfall and thunderstorms through the morning across central Macedonia, Thessaly, the Sporades, eastern Central Greece, Evia, the Cyclades, Crete, the eastern Aegean islands, the Dodecanese and the eastern and southern Peloponnese.
