Greece weather forecast: More storms hit Europe as tourists outside are trapped

More storms are set to hit parts of Europe, including a Greek island where British tourists were stranded after flash floods.

At least nine people died after storms battered Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria on Tuesday, with videos showing cars swept away and streets submerged in water.

This comes at a time when the World Meteorological Organization says that the Northern Hemisphere experienced its warmest summer ever, due to climate change.

Skiathos, a popular holiday island in the northwestern Aegean Sea, is expected to be hit by heavy rains and thunderstorms again on Wednesday.

Holidaymakers on the island have been left “with no way to get food” with many currently unable to get to the airport.

One stranded tourist said Skiathos town center was “underwater” and described the situation as “terribly scary”.

The police ordered all residents and tourists to stay off the streets and the island’s mayor submitted a request to declare a state of emergency.

This morning flights from London, Manchester and Leeds-Bradford to Skiathos were canceled or disrupted due to bad weather.

The Foreign Office has updated its travel advice for Greece, asking British tourists on the island to check local emergency communications services for updates as “the situation can change quickly”.

Parts of Turkey and Bulgaria were also hit by flash floods on Wednesday, killing nine people in the three countries

In Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, heavy rains flooded streets and homes in two districts, killing at least two people, according to a statement from the governor’s office.

About ten people were rescued after they were stranded inside a library, while some subway stations were closed. Istanbul Governor Davut Gul urged motorcyclists to stay home.

Rains are also expected in Kirklareli province in Turkey and Pelion region in Greece, both of which were affected by the floods.

In Greece, police blocked traffic in the central city of Volos and the nearby mountainous region of Pelion – as well as Skiathos – where torrential rains have caused at least one death.

The fire department said a man was killed near Volos when a wall collapsed and he fell on him.

The authorities sent alerts via mobile phones in several other regions of central Greece, the Sporades island chain and the island of Evia, warning people to limit their movements outdoors.

Streams burst their banks and cars were swept into the sea in Pelion district, while rockslides blocked roads, a small bridge was swept away and many areas experienced power outages.

The authorities evacuated a home for the elderly in the city of Volos as a precautionary measure.

Greece’s Meteorological Service said a village in the Pelion district received 75.4 centimeters (about 30 inches) of rain late Tuesday, the highest level recorded since at least 2006.

It noted that the average annual precipitation in the Athens area is about 40 cm (15.75 in).

The Met Office said the “slow” crossing of Storm Daniel would bring more rain to the central Mediterranean region.

“Most of the region will see between 50 and 150 mm of rain over the next couple of days from Daniel, as it is a slow-moving system,” Stephen Dixon, a Bureau of Meteorology spokesman, told The Independent.

“Some places may see more than 300 mm of rain over a couple of days. Strong winds and rough seas will be active throughout this period. Daniel will gradually weaken in a few days.

The European Environment Agency said extreme weather events like those affecting Greece, Turkey and Bulgaria will become more frequent due to climate change.

“There is clear evidence that extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and forest fires, are becoming more frequent and more intense with climate change,” Aleksandra Kazmyrczak, a climate expert with the European Economic Area, told The Independent.

We saw this all over Europe this summer, and now unfortunately also in Greece. We need to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the worst consequences of climate change, but it is equally important that we prepare our societies for its current and future impacts.

The World Meteorological Organization and the European Climate Service Copernicus also announced that last month was the hottest August on record.

August was about 1.5°C (2.7°F) warmer than pre-industrial average temperatures, a warming threshold the world is trying not to exceed.

But the 1.5°C threshold passed over decades – not just a month – so scientists don’t consider this short passage to be of great significance.

The World Meteorological Organization and Copernicus said the world’s oceans – more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface – were the hottest on record, at around 21 degrees Celsius (69.8 degrees Fahrenheit), and record high temperatures for three consecutive months.

“Summer days are not just about dogs barking, they are biting,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement.

“The climate collapse has begun.”