The storm battering Crete has already caused a series of problems, with the authorities on red alert and two 112 emergency messages sent for villages in Rethymno and the Minoa Pediada area of Heraklion, after a severe weather warning was issued for the whole island from today, Thursday 1 October.

A tragedy has struck Crete as the severe storm claimed its first life, with an 80-year-old livestock farmer from Karines in the Agios Vasileios municipality of Rethymno found dead on Thursday afternoon. He had gone to his sheepfold on Wednesday evening, reportedly fearing that sheets of metal from the roof would fall and kill his animals, and was apparently swept away by a stream before firefighters found him buried under debris at the Kavalaris location.

Homes flooded in Zoniana

The situation in the Rethymno regional unit is particularly difficult, with homes flooded and fire service crews receiving constant calls to pump out water in Rethymno and Heraklion, according to creta24.gr.

“The water is coming into the houses like a river,” one local resident said. She explained that she is facing serious problems and is on oxygen, and said she had warned the municipality that work was needed on the roads. The village remains without power.

Mylopotamos has been in the grip of the storm since Wednesday evening. In Livadia, raging waters swept away the Diskouri bridge, and a couple travelling in the area fell into the riverbed. The pair were injured and taken to PAGNI, the University General Hospital of Heraklion.

“The bridge is gone, the river took half of it and the car fell into the riverbed. Thankfully, there were no casualties,” the mayor, Giorgos Klados, told Cretalive. He said the entire municipality is on its feet and that “the situation is tragic”. “I am 50 years old and I don’t remember anything like this happening before. The older residents remember the destruction of 1986,” he added.

The storm has also affected the power supply, with Zoniana, Anogeia and Axos still without electricity. In Zoniana, power poles have come down and the electricity distribution network operator, HEDNO, has been informed so that the fault can be repaired.

In Heraklion, in the Profitis Ilias area, rainfall exceeded 220 millimetres, according to Priamos Ieronymakis, the regional councillor responsible for quality of life in rural areas, causing debris to be washed onto the roads. Heavy machinery has already been deployed to deal with the problems.

Lasithi: Traffic ban on the plateau, heavy crop damage

A ban on traffic across the farmland of the Lasithi Plateau has been in force since early Thursday morning because of the adverse conditions. According to the mayor, Giorgos Athanasakis, a heavy downpour struck early in the morning, making the decision necessary for safety reasons.

“We advise residents to stay at home and, only when absolutely necessary, to use the perimeter road. The intensity of the weather remains high, so it is best to follow the guidance,” Mr Athanasakis said, adding that crops on the plain have suffered significant damage.

“Crops on the plain have been seriously damaged, but right now safety comes first. We have days ahead to assess the damage,” the mayor of the Lasithi Plateau said, urging residents to stay away from the farmland so that no one is put at risk.

112 alerts urging people to avoid travel

Shortly before 7am, a 112 message was issued “to avoid travel and visits to the villages of Zoniana and Livadia and the mountainous area of Mylopotamos in the Rethymno regional unit”.

A second 112 message followed shortly before 10am for the Minoa Pediada area of Heraklion.

At 10.15am, a third 112 message was issued for the Agios Nikolaos area in Lasithi.

At a meeting held yesterday, Wednesday, it was decided to reinforce the Fire Service’s operational presence in Crete, with forces from Athens being sent to Chania to support local services and be on standby in case of flooding or other problems caused by the storm.

Among the resources transferred to Crete were a swift-water rescue team with boats from the 6th Special Disaster Response Unit (EMAK), a specialised tracked vehicle and a boat from the 1st EMAK, and a team from the Motorised Special Fire Operations Unit with pumping equipment.

Updated emergency weather bulletin

According to the latest update of the emergency severe weather bulletin, locally heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast for today, Thursday (1 October 2026), in the south of the country, mainly in Crete, along with very stormy winds in the Aegean.

More specifically, the forecast is as follows.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms in places in Crete, mainly in the Chania and Rethymno regional units. The intense phenomena may, at times, continue until Sunday morning (4 October 2026).

Locally very stormy north-easterly winds of force 8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale in the Aegean.

Ferry ban from Lavrio and Rafina

Because of the strong winds, a sailing ban has been issued for ships to and from the ports of Rafina and Lavrio. Vessels are departing normally from Piraeus, although there are changes to some high-speed ferry schedules to and from the islands of the Saronic Gulf.

Schools closed

All schools in Chania and Rethymno will remain closed today because of the expected storm.

The announcement on school closures in Chania, issued by the office of the Deputy Regional Governor of Chania, Nikos Kalogeris, states: “Owing to the adverse weather conditions expected in the coming hours in Crete, and particularly in Chania and Rethymno, all schools in the Chania regional unit will remain closed on Thursday 1 October 2026.”

Citizens are advised to be very careful when travelling, given the high likelihood of extreme weather.

The announcement from the Rethymno regional authority reads: “The Rethymno Regional Unit announces that, in view of the Hellenic National Meteorological Service’s bulletin on severe weather, and under the powers deriving from Law 3852/2010, Article 186, paragraph II, sector H, as well as Law 4662/2020, the Deputy Regional Governor of Rethymno has decided to suspend the operation of primary schools (nurseries and primary) and secondary schools across the whole of Rethymno.”

Extreme rainfall totals

According to Giorgos Tsatrafyllias, the two main forecasting models, ECMWF and ICON, continue to show extreme rainfall until Sunday in Evia and especially Crete. On the maps below, totals approaching or exceeding 100 mm appear locally in Evia, while in Crete there are cores of 250 to 350 mm, with locally even higher totals. If these scenarios are confirmed, some areas could receive within a few days the equivalent of two or more Octobers’ worth of rain.

In Evia, partly because of its steep terrain, multi-day totals of this kind call for particular caution. If a large share of them falls in a short space of time, the risk of flash flooding and torrents rises significantly.

For Crete, particularly Chania and Rethymno, the forecasting models show extreme rainfall over just a few days, which also raises the risk of flooding considerably there.

The exact peaks, however, should not yet be taken as certain, as this is a forecast several days ahead.