ATHENS – Often touted as one of the best times to visit Greece to avoid summer crowds and have weather good enough for swimming, May ended with wild thunderstorms in Athens and rain across the country and continued cool.

Adding to the disruptions for tourists in many areas, severe weather was forecast across most of the country through at least June 3, after a May that wasn’t exactly beach weather in many places.

The unseasonably unusual pattern of little sun and constant gray comes as tourists were pouring into the country with the COVID-19 pandemic forgotten and the tourist ministry enticing visitors with sun, sand, beaches and islands as well as trying to get them to visit other regions beyond the usual favorites.

Thunderstorms accompanied by heavy downpours, strong wind gusts, lightning, and possible hail storms hit in some areas as May ended and were forecast to go on for several days.

Heavy downpours associated with the storms may trigger flooding in low-lying areas, and strong winds could cause property damage and power outages, said a warning from the site Crisis 24.

https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2023/05/greece-adverse-weather-forecast-across-most-of-the-country-through-at-least-june-3

Authorities issued weather warnings for a number of areas around the country as Greece has seen cooler weather often than parts of New York during spring and with the big summer season approaching.

Parts of the capital Athens looked like flood areas after May 31 downpours accompanied by thunder and lightning created a deluge that saw waters running like rapids down streets.