Greece Braces for Heavy Rain, Thunderstorms After Massive Wildfire

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are hitting parts of Greece on Monday after firefighters managed to contain the massive wildfire in Evros.

The cold weather front, which will bring strong rains and winds as well as frequent thunderstorms, will take most of the country under the influence from Monday to Wednesday, the National Observatory of Athens said.

The regions of Thessalia, Sporades, central and eastern Sterea Ellada, north Evia, and the Peloponnese will be most affected by rain.

It added that an up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit) drop in temperature is forecasted.

Meanwhile, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection advised citizens to be cautious and take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the risks posed by severe weather phenomena.

Which regions in Greece will be affected by heavy rain and thunderstorms

For Monday, heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast:

In Macedonia and temporarily in Thrace, beginning in the late afternoon, the phenomena will be limited to central Macedonia (mainly in the prefectures of Pieria, Imathia, and Halkidiki)

In Epirus, Thessaly, the Sporades, and the Ionian Islands (mainly in the area of Lefkada, Kefalonia and Zakynthos), Sterea, Evia, and the Peloponnese (mainly in the west and north).

On Tuesday 5/9, the phenomena will be particularly intense. In more detail, heavy rains and storms are predicted:

In Epirus, the Ionian Islands, Western Sterea and Western Peloponnese.

In central Macedonia (mainly in the prefectures of Pieria, Imathia, and Halkidiki), Thessaly, the Sporades, central and eastern Sterea (mainly in the prefectures of Evrytania, Fthiotida and Boeotia), Evia and the eastern and southern Peloponnese

At times in the prefecture of Attica and western Crete

From noon to evening in the western parts of the Cyclades and the islands of the northern Aegean.

On Wednesday heavy rains and storms are forecast:

In Thessaly, the Sporades, central and eastern Sterea (mainly in the prefectures of Evrytania, Fthiotida and Boeotia), Evia (mainly in the north), eastern and southern Peloponnese and at times in western and southern Crete.

It is pointed out that in the evening the phenomena will weaken except for the regions of Thessaly, Sporades and northern Evia where they will continue until the morning hours of Thursday.

Strong northeasterly winds of 7 to 8 Beaufort will blow in the northern Aegean from Monday to Tuesday evening, while the temperature will drop noticeably by 6 to 8 degrees Celsius mainly in the Ionian and continental areas.

Wildfire in Evros gradually abating

The massive wildfire in Evros in northeastern Greece that decimated vast tracts of forest in over 17 days was gradually abating on Monday, although hundreds of firefighters were still tackling pockets that continued to burn, the fire department said.

Reinforcements were sent over the weekend to the wildfire bringing the total number of firefighters to 741, backed by 124 vehicles and two aircraft. The blaze has been blamed for the deaths of 20 people. All are believed to have been migrants who had recently crossed the border.

The fire, which broke out on August 19th near the northeastern city of Alexandroupolis and joined with other blazes to form one massive wildfire, had burned more than 93,000 hectares (230,000 acres) of land by Sunday, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service, making it the largest single blaze to have hit an EU country since records began in 2000.

Dozens of fires have been breaking out each day across the country for weeks, with the fire department saying its forces tackled 82 wildfires between Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, with 49 of them having broken out in those 24 hours.

With its firefighting forces stretched to the limit, Greece appealed for help from other European countries and has received help from hundreds of firefighters, as well as a fleet of planes and helicopters, from across the continent.

On Sunday, forces from France, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Albania, and Serbia were still operating in the country.