Strong rain to hit northwest Aegean from Tuesday

The Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) issued on Monday 21 September 2026, at 12:00, an Extraordinary Weather Deterioration Bulletin with number A.A. 12/2026 and orange warning level. According to the bulletin, the weather situation is deteriorating from the early hours of Tuesday 22 September 2026 until the early morning hours of Wednesday 23 September 2026, with epicenter in the wider area of the northwestern Aegean. The EMY mentions strong rain, local thunderstorms that will be accompanied temporarily by high frequency of lightning, as well as the possibility of local hail. Specifically, on Tuesday 22 September 2026 the phenomena are expected in Thessaly – mainly in the coastal areas of Magnesia – from the early morning hours, in the Sporades and Chalkidiki from early until afternoon, and in central and northern Evia from morning until afternoon. The deterioration in the coastal areas of Magnesia continues on Wednesday 23 September 2026, until the early morning hours.

The new warning comes after the forecasts for rain and thunderstorms in the mountains that the EMY had issued for Monday 21 September 2026, showing how rapidly autumn weather is changing this year. Just the previous day, on Sunday 20 September 2026, the authorities had warned of increased fire risk in seven areas of the country, something that highlights the distance between the two weather patterns within just a few days. The EMY bulletin specifically concerns the northwestern Aegean and the neighboring mainland areas mentioned explicitly in it, without extending to other parts of the country.

On an operational level, the Fire Service announced at 13:15 on Monday 21 September 2026 that it had implemented the plan for dealing with dangers from floods and associated phenomena, with fire service units in the areas expected to be affected being placed on increased readiness and capacity for further escalation if needed. In parallel, the General Secretariat of Civil Protection informed the involved state services, regions and municipalities of the country, requesting increased civil protection readiness. Residents and visitors of the areas of Thessaly, Sporades, Chalkidiki and Evia are advised to secure objects that could be swept away, to check that gutters and drainage pipes function normally, to avoid crossing streams and torrents during and after thunderstorms, as well as to avoid outdoor and coastal activities due to the risk of lightning.

The EMY notes that the extraordinary bulletin will be renewed in 12 hours from its issuance, with possible updating of the areas or timetable if needed. Citizens are referred to the regular weather bulletins of the EMY, to the warnings of Meteoalarm and to the website of the General Secretariat of Civil Protection for self-protection guidelines, while for road network passability due to flooding phenomena they are referred to the Hellenic Police. More updates on weather progress throughout the country can be found in the weather section. Until then, the official message from the authorities remains steady: follow the bulletins and be careful when traveling in the areas covered by the bulletin until the early morning hours of Wednesday 23 September 2026.