Record-breaking precipitation in Greece causes widespread damage to housing and infrastructure

Record-breaking precipitation, locally reaching up to 754 mm in a single day, wreaked havoc in Greece and caused widespread damage to housing and infrastructure, starting Monday, September 4.

Storm Daniel was the cause behind the events, which is still ongoing, and is expected to move towards the Mediterranean late on Thursday.

The city of Volos in the Magnesia region of Thessaly was most severely affected, along with mount Pelion right adjacent to it and the nearby islands of the Sporades.

On Tuesday, September 5, an all-time record rainfall in Greece was recorded at the village of Zagora on mount Pelion, reaching 754 mm in a day and exceeding the previous 644.7 mm record set by Mediterranean Cyclone Janus in September 2020. It is worth noting that this amount is roughly equal to the average annual precipitation in the city of London.

The intense rainfall caused a series of landslides on mount Pelion, roads and at least one bridge collapsing and getting washed away, as well as partial or total collapse of some buildings in the area, while parts of the city of Volos were left without electricity or water for several days and nearby rivers burst their banks.

So far, three people have been confirmed to have lost their lives and another four missing.

Turkey and Bulgaria also experienced flooding, which led to thousands of people being displaced and claimed the lives of seven and four people in each country respectively.