Dry October exacerbates water crisis

Greece experienced an extreme drought this October, with many regions receiving no rainfall, and most areas recording less than 10% of the average rainfall over the past 15 years. 

A year after the devastating floods caused by Storm Daniel in Thessaly, Greece is now grappling with prolonged dry conditions causing significant problems.

Similar patterns have been observed in Spain, where a prolonged drought preceded extreme rainfall brought by DANA, a Spanish acronym for high-altitude isolated depression. Extended droughts followed by intense downpours, with flood events, are becoming increasingly common in the context of climate change.

Data from meteo.gr for October show that out of 118 stations in the National Observatory of Athens network, 95 reported zero or minimal rainfall – an 80-95% reduction compared to typical October values. In places such as Sparti, Hania, Ierapetra, Naxos and Rhodes, no rainfall was recorded for the entire month. Similarly, Alexandroupoli, Patra, Lamia, Tinos and Samos saw negligible rainfall, while Athens recorded a mere 1.6 millimeters. 

Even in Zagora, a usually rainy area with significant agricultural activity, only 11.2 mm fell compared to a 15-year average of 250.8 mm. 

Western parts of Greece, like Ioannina and Corfu, fared slightly better, with 26% and 29% of their usual rainfall, respectively, with Amfilochia as the only notable exception, receiving 57.4 mm (88% of the average).

“These are extremely low values for October, a usually rainy month,” says Kostas Lagouvardos, research director at the observatory and scientific head of meteo.gr, noting the uniformity and intensity of this phenomenon across most of the country.

The lack of rain in September also contributed to this pattern, with central, eastern and southern Greece, and the islands experiencing limited rainfall, while only western Greece was notably wet. In regions such as Thessaly, Central Greece, and the Peloponnese, rainfall levels were 45-65% of the 15-year averages.

Reduced rainfall and drought in Greece extends back several months, with June being particularly dry; and from October 2023 to May 2024, most stations recorded up to 50% less rainfall.

Drought impacts water reservoirs, depletes groundwater levels with painful consequences for agriculture, raises the risk of soil erosion, and leads to desertification. A striking example is the artificial lake of Mornos, used for Athens’ water supply, whose total area, experts say, has been reduced to about 10.4 square kilometers on October 25, compared to approximately 14.8 sq.km on October 20 in 2023.