Civil Protection issues warning ahead of severe weather in Greece
Greek Civil Protection authorities have warned the public to take precautions as severe weather is forecast to affect large parts of the country over the coming days.
The Hellenic National Meteorological Service issued an Urgent Weather Deterioration Bulletin on Wednesday, predicting heavy rainfall, thunderstorms and possible hail.
The weather system is expected to reach northwestern Greece on Wednesday evening before spreading on Thursday to western regions, the northeastern mainland and the eastern islands.
Strong southerly to southeasterly winds of up to 8–9 on the Beaufort scale are forecast for the Ionian Sea through Wednesday evening and the eastern Aegean from Thursday morning into the afternoon.
Meteo.gr also warned of renewed heavy rain, thunderstorms, strong winds and dust transported from Africa on Thursday.
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has placed state, regional and municipal authorities on high alert and urged citizens to follow safety guidance.
The Fire Brigade has activated its flood-response plan, with units deployed in vulnerable areas and ready for immediate intervention.
African dust cloud to affect Greece in coming days
A new cloud of African dust is expected to reach Greece in the coming days, according to AtmoHub, the country’s atmospheric composition information hub.
The phenomenon is being driven by converging wind patterns caused by a high-pressure system over the southeastern Mediterranean and a low-pressure system over the western Mediterranean, allowing dust from the Sahara, Morocco and Libya to move toward Greece.
From Wednesday, elevated dust concentrations are forecast to first affect western Greece before spreading eastward. The dust episode is expected to intensify again on February 5, with southern regions, particularly the Peloponnese and Crete, most affected.
AtmoHub said accompanying rainfall may help partially clear the atmosphere by depositing dust on the ground. The platform is coordinated by the National Observatory of Athens and supported by the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
