The severe weather system continues to unleash powerful rainfall across Attica, with central Athens and several areas of the basin hit by intense downpours on the night of Tuesday, October 13, as meteorological warnings remain in effect for the coming hours. The National Meteorological Service (EMY) upgraded its emergency weather bulletin to a dangerous weather phenomena alert, maintaining an orange warning for Attica and a red warning for areas where particularly severe thunderstorms are expected. Meanwhile, the General Secretariat for Civil Protection placed eight regions of the country on Red Code mobilization status until Wednesday, October 14, due to the elevated risk of flooding and extremely strong winds.
Read also: Severe weather causes traffic disruptions in Pikermi and Salamina due to extreme conditions
The most intense conditions were recorded in western Attica, where automated weather stations logged exceptionally high rainfall rates. In Perama, at 7:15 PM on Tuesday, the rainfall rate reached 160 millimeters per hour, while significant intensities were also recorded at Aspropyrgos Beach, Aspropyrgos, and Mandra. The weather phenomena are expected to continue overnight, while Wednesday is forecast to bring rain, possible thunderstorms, and very strong northerly winds — particularly across eastern Attica.
Severe weather: the eight Red Code regions and Civil Protection mobilization
Placed on Red Code mobilization status from midday Tuesday through Wednesday are the Regional Unit of Evia, the Regional Unit of the Sporades, the Region of Attica, the Region of South Aegean, the Region of Crete, the Regional Units of Samos and Ikaria, and the Region of the Peloponnese. The decision was taken on the basis of EMY’s emergency dangerous weather phenomena bulletin and the assessment of the Risk Evaluation Committee, which convened at the initiative of the Secretary General of Civil Protection, Nikos Papaeustathiou.
The activation of Red Code means that the National Civil Protection Mechanism is placed on full mobilization, with deployment of all necessary personnel, materials, and available resources to respond to potential emergencies. Municipalities and regional authorities are called upon to immediately convene their Local and Regional Civil Protection Operational Coordination Bodies in order to review their preparedness against flood events and strong winds. The National Operational Center for Emergency Response and Crisis Management has already been in contact with local government organizations and all involved agencies to ensure operational coordination.
Torrential rain in Perama — data from across Attica
Rainfall was particularly intense during the afternoon of Tuesday, with weather station readings showing significant variation from area to area. In Perama at 7:15 PM, the rainfall rate reached 160 mm/h; at Aspropyrgos Beach, 43.4 mm/h; in Aspropyrgos, 34.6 mm/h; in Mandra, 21 mm/h; and in Nea Makri, 15.4 mm/h. These figures reflect the instantaneous rainfall intensity at the time of measurement, not the total accumulation over a full hour.
In terms of total rainfall recorded by 7:00 PM, Palaiokoundoura Mandras had accumulated 56.6 mm, Kantza 31.8 mm, Nea Makri 30.6 mm, Aspropyrgos Beach 29 mm, and Elefsina 28 mm. Perama recorded 27.2 mm, Hippokrateio Politeia 27 mm, Pallini between 20.4 and 22.8 mm, Parnitha 21.2 mm, Paleo Faliro 20.8 mm, Aspropyrgos 20.4 mm, and Spata 19.2 mm. The data confirms that heavy rainfall affected a large part of the prefecture, with western Attica recording some of the highest intensities.
Orange warning for Athens — what is forecast for Wednesday
EMY forecasts heavy rain and thunderstorms across Attica from late Tuesday afternoon through the early hours of Wednesday, with the possibility of localized hail. According to the emergency bulletin, the most intense phenomena covered under the orange warning are expected to ease after the early hours of Wednesday. Nevertheless, the National Observatory of Athens continues to forecast rain and possible scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, which may be locally intense — particularly in the northern parts of the prefecture.
Winds are also expected to be significantly strengthened, with northerly winds of 6 to 7 Beaufort forecast for Attica, and locally up to 8 Beaufort in eastern areas, with gusts potentially reaching 90 to 100 kilometers per hour. Temperatures will range between 15 and 19 degrees Celsius, while northern Attica is among the areas where heavy rainfall accumulations are possible.
Red warning for Evia — where thunderstorms will continue
Evia is among the regions expected to bear the brunt of the most severe conditions, with EMY issuing a red warning for high-intensity, prolonged rain and thunderstorms lasting until late Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rainfall is also forecast for the Sporades and Magnesia through the afternoon, for Chalkidiki through the morning hours, for the Dodecanese through the afternoon, and for Crete — primarily Chania and Rethymno — through late night.
There is an elevated probability of localized hail across the Aegean, particularly in the Dodecanese and Crete, while transient snowfall may occur at higher elevations in Central Greece, Thessaly, and northern regions of the country. The weather phenomena will be accompanied by a drop in temperatures and a significant strengthening of winds.
Winds up to 10 Beaufort in the Aegean
According to EMY’s emergency bulletin, very strong northeasterly winds of 8 to 9 Beaufort — and temporarily up to 10 Beaufort — are forecast in the northern Aegean from Tuesday night. The intensification will gradually extend into the central Aegean, with the phenomena lasting through late Wednesday night. The extremely powerful winds are one of the primary reasons behind the heightened operational readiness of the relevant authorities, as they combine with the intense rainfall affecting several parts of the country.
In Thessaloniki, Wednesday is expected to bring intermittent rainfall with improvement from midday, while northwesterly winds will blow at 4 to 5 Beaufort. Temperatures will range between 12 and 17 degrees Celsius. Despite a gradual improvement in some areas, Civil Protection mobilization will remain in force in high-risk regions through Wednesday.
