Barometric low: flood risk in the south

An organized barometric low, positioned over the sea north of Africa, near the Gulf of Sirte, moves eastward and is expected to cross the southern maritime areas of Greece from Tuesday 15 September 2026. The system brings intense instability, with rains, storms and increased risk of flooding phenomena concentrating mainly in the southern part of the country. The first effects were felt already in the morning of Tuesday, with the weather changing gradually across the entire region.

According to OPEN meteorologist Klearchos Maroussakis, the low is being fed both by cooler air descending from central Europe and by large amounts of heat and moisture drawn from unusually warm seas. He noted that increased caution is required on Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 September, and until approximately noon Thursday 17 September, in the central and especially southern Ionian Sea, the Peloponnese, Crete, the Cyclades and the Dodecanese. As Maroussakis stated, “the system can carry a very large volume of water”, a fact that significantly increases the probability of flooding episodes in these areas. More details on the evolution of the weather at national level are recorded at /ellada/weather/.

On Tuesday 15 September the sky is expected to be cloudy in much of the country, with rains and storms more frequent and intense in the west, centre and south. An immediate consequence of the worsening was already recorded in Chania, where the Natural Environment and Climate Change Organisation (OFIEKO) announced the closure of Samaria Gorge for all of Tuesday, as rainfall forecasts exceeded the safety limits in force for the area. More information on current events in Chania can be found at /crete/chania/. Meanwhile, as in.gr reported citing the Greek National Meteorological Service (EMY), the temperature on Tuesday is expected to range approximately from 16 to 29 degrees Celsius, with rains and local storms in Epirus, western Central Greece, Macedonia and Thrace, phenomena that from midday will extend to eastern Central Greece and Thessaly, while in the evening will be confined to Chalkidiki and the northeastern islands of the Aegean.

On Wednesday 16 September most of the rains and storms are expected to shift toward the southern Ionian, southern Peloponnese, the Cyclades - mainly their southern islands - Crete and the Dodecanese, with the flood risk described as particularly high in Crete and the Dodecanese. According to Maroussakis, winds near the low are expected to strengthen significantly, with local intensities near storm levels in the southern Ionian, the Kythira strait and around Crete. When exactly the phenomenon will completely subside remains uncertain, as the warning for increased caution extends to approximately noon Thursday 17 September, while it has not yet been clarified whether there will be additional protective measures, such as gorge closures or suspension of maritime connections, in other areas of the country.