Residents on the Sporadic island of Skiathos have been urged to limit their movements after storm Daniel turned road into flooded torrents.

Local media said the island’s mayor requested that a state of emergency be declared due to the severity of the weather phenomena, which has been characterized by intense lightning and heavy rainfall since the early hours.

Traffic was also banned in the central town of Volos and the nearby mountain region of Pilion until the storm subsides, police said.

Local media reported that torrential rainfall caused streams to break their banks and turned roads into rivers, sweeping cars into the sea in the Pilion area.

The national weather service said the Pilion region was forecast to receive about 650 to 700 millimeters of rain over Tuesday and Wednesday, while 550-600 millimeters were forecast for the central town of Karditsa.

The storm was forecast to cause heavy rainfall and storms, accompanied by hail, thunder and strong winds in the Aegean.

The extreme weather comes on the heels of major wildfires 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. [AP, Kathimerini]

Source: Ekathimerini.com