A wave of severe weather was battering western Greece on Thursday and is expected to spread across the country through Friday, bringing heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail and strong winds, meteorologists have warned. Temperatures are forecast to dip slightly.
Schools of all levels and municipal daycare centers were ordered to stay closed Thursday on the Ionian island of Zakynthos following a decision by the local government.
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection urged residents to take precautions and local authorities were ordered to remain on alert after an emergency meeting of the state’s Risk Assessment Committee.
The first storms struck the Ionian islands late Wednesday, prompting the 112 emergency alert service to issue warnings to residents. Messages were also sent to residents in the western Peloponnese regions of Achaia, Ilia and Messinia.
Officials said the most dangerous weather is expected Thursday in Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Achaia, Ilia, Messinia, Laconia and central Macedonia, with the storm front forecast to move east Friday toward Thrace, eastern Macedonia, the eastern Aegean islands and the Dodecanese.
Heavy downpours also hit Corfu, where firefighters were called in to rescue a British family whose car became stuck in mud on a steep dirt road in the Drastis area in the island’s north. Authorities said the couple and their child were unharmed.
The Risk Assessment Committee was scheduled to reconvene later Thursday to review updated forecasts and extend warnings to other regions.