Rhodes and Evia were counting the cost of severe weather Thursday after torrential rainfall triggered flooding, damaged roads and property and left one man dead, as conditions gradually began to improve across some of the hardest-hit parts of Greece.
Rhodes, Evia and the Sporades bore the brunt of the storm, with swollen rivers and torrents carrying mud and debris across roads and flooded areas. In some places, floodwaters reached the coastline, blurring the boundary between land and sea.
Gale-force northerly winds reaching 9 Beaufort also disrupted transportation. A sailing ban from the ports of Piraeus, Rafina and Lavrio remained in effect until 9 a.m. Thursday.
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The most serious toll was recorded in Rhodes, where a 62-year-old man died after floodwaters swept his vehicle into the sea.
Man killed as cars swept into sea in Rhodes
The fatal incident occurred in Stegna, near Archangelos, after a torrent swollen by intense rainfall swept four vehicles into the sea.
Three were unoccupied, but the 62-year-old was inside his vehicle and was unable to escape.
According to residents, the force of the water carried the car to the beach, about 100 meters from where the torrent empties into the sea, leaving it among reeds and debris.
Residents and local business owners found the man unconscious. An ambulance from Greece’s National Emergency Aid Center, transported him to the Archangelos Health Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The storm caused widespread disruption. Roads flooded, vehicles became stranded and drivers had to be rescued by firefighters and Civil Protection teams. In the Asgourou area, a woman was rescued from a vehicle immobilized by floodwaters, while a waterspout was reported near Lindos.
Power and telecommunications outages were also recorded.
A large rockfall on the Archangelos-Malona road in the Aithonas area damaged the roadway and protective barriers, forcing authorities to close the road for safety reasons.
Rhodes records 264 millimeters of rain in six hours
The volume of rainfall underscored the intensity of the storm.
A weather station on Rhodes recorded 264 millimeters of rain in just six hours, while estimates for the island’s most extreme rainfall totals approached the equivalent of 280 metric tons of water per 1,000 square meters.
Conditions have since improved, with the rain largely stopping, but work to repair damage and restore electricity is expected to continue Thursday.
Schools across Rhodes will remain closed Thursday while authorities inspect buildings to ensure they are safe before students return.
Floodwaters tear apart roads in Evia
In northern Evia, the overflowing Kireas River caused major damage to the road connecting Prokopi and Mantoudi.
Rushing water destroyed large sections of the roadway at two locations, cutting traffic toward Mantoudi. A roughly 200-meter stretch of road remains intact between the damaged sections.
Fallen trees were also reported, prompting interventions by the Fire Service.
Conditions have improved around Psachna, where the Messapios River had earlier overflowed. Water levels have receded significantly and rainfall has almost stopped.
The mayor of Dirfys-Messapia said the area received about 300 millimeters of rain.
Minor flooding was reported in residential basements in Makrykapa, where a 112 emergency alert had earlier instructed residents to evacuate as a precaution and head toward Psachna.
The latest assessments indicated that the immediate threat of the Kireas and Messapios rivers overflowing had subsided.
Fire Service and Civil Protection units, however, remained on alert because runoff descending from mountainous areas could cause fresh problems even after rainfall has weakened.
Schools in the Municipality of Dirfys-Messapia will remain closed Thursday.
Skiathos and Skopelos also hit
The Sporades islands also suffered significant disruption.
On Skiathos, heavy rainfall flooded roads, stores and homes, with firefighters responding to water entering properties.
On Skopelos, large volumes of water flowed down from mountainous areas and placed additional pressure on the road network. Power supply problems were also reported.
Another round of storms expected Friday night
The temporary improvement will not mark the definitive end of the severe weather.
Initial forecasts indicate that another round of rain and thunderstorms will affect parts of Greece from Friday evening through midday Saturday.
Eastern Thessaly, the Sporades, Evia and eastern Central Greece are expected to be at the center of the renewed deterioration.
Early forecasts do not indicate storms of the same intensity or duration as those that have just passed, but significant rainfall totals are again expected.
Authorities are urging people to exercise particular caution when traveling, especially in areas already affected by flooding, damaged roads or overflowing rivers and torrents.
Officials have also warned that risks can persist after the rain stops, as runoff from mountainous areas can cause water levels to rise rapidly again. Residents are being advised to stay away from dangerous areas and follow instructions from local authorities.