Severe rainstorm triggers flooding in central Greece, 1 man dies. Police order a traffic ban

Greek police have ordered vehicles off the streets of the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion as a severe storm has hit the area, turning streets into flooded torrents

Greece Wildfires (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Greek police ordered vehicles off the streets of the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion on Tuesday as a severe storm hit the area, turning streets into flooded torrents.

The ban, which covers all except emergency services and roadside assistance vehicles, will remain in place until the storm subsides, police said.

The fire department said one man was killed in Volos when a wall buckled and fell on him, while another man was reported missing, believed to have been swept away by floodwaters.

Authorities also sent push alerts to cellphones in several other areas of central Greece, the Sporades island chain and the island of Evia, warning people to limit their movements outdoors due to the storm.

Greece’s weather service said the Pilion region was forecast to receive about 650-700 millimeters (25.5-27.5 inches) of rain over Tuesday and Wednesday, while 550-600 millimeters were forecast for the central Greek town of Karditsa.

The weather service noted that the average rainfall in the capital of Athens region is around 400 millimeters.

The extreme weather comes on the heels of major wildfires that hit Greece over the past few weeks, with some burning for more than two weeks and destroying vast tracts of forest and farmland. More than 20 people were killed in the fires.