A sequence of potent thunderstorms broke out in the Aegean Sea over Monday and Tuesday, causing heavy rainfalls and hail showers at various well-known tourist destinations.
The storms were most severe in the south, with the Cyclades islands experiencing at least a month’s worth of precipitation, most of which fell within a span of three hours. This led to flash floods that swept vehicles and debris through the streets and displaced boats from the shore, prompting the rescue of 13 individuals by firefighters. As a result, authorities implemented a travel ban and restricted road usage to emergency vehicles only, while also disrupting ferry services.
On Tuesday, the storms continued to bring downpours and flooding to the eastern islands near mainland Turkey and parts of Crete in the south. Seven individuals were rescued from vehicles trapped in floodwaters on Crete, where landslides were also witnessed.
In contrast, northwestern Europe had one of the driest and sunniest Marches on record. In De Bilt, Netherlands, the sun shined for 248 hours, breaking the previous record set in 2022 and surpassing the March average by nearly 100 hours. The country recorded an average rainfall of only 5mm nationwide, falling more than 50mm short of the usual March average.
Belgium also experienced unusually dry and sunny conditions, with an average rainfall of just 7.8mm in Brussels, making it the third-driest March in the past century. The country enjoyed 191 hours of sunshine, which was 50% above the average. The average high temperature ranged at 13.6 degrees Celsius, significantly higher than the normal March average of 10.9 degrees Celsius.
England and Wales witnessed the driest March since at least 1961, with certain areas also experiencing record-breaking sunshine. With high pressure predicted to prevail over northern Europe for the first 10 days of April, it is expected that the Netherlands, Belgium, UK, and Ireland will continue to experience dry and mostly sunny weather.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/apr/04/weather-tracker-powerful-storms-flooding-greece-aegean-islands
