Satellite views of massive floods in Greece – September 2023

On September 10, 2023, the European Sentinel-2 satellite captured high-quality images of massive flooding in central Greece after extremely heavy rains dropped by Storm Daniel over the past week.

A powerful storm dubbed Daniel dropped exceptionally high amounts of rain over parts of central Greece on September 4 and 5, resulting in widespread flooding, destruction, and the tragic loss of at least 10 lives. Experts label this as the country’s worst storm since records began in 1930. The worst affected was the Thessaly Region, particularly its Magnesia prefecture.

With the immediate aftermath of the storm, many regions continued to receive rain, amassing up to 1 – 3 years’ worth of typical rainfall in just a few days. Some parts have even registered double the amount it usually falls within 12 months in just 12 hours.

The future aftermath of this storm could lead to a significant geographical shift in the region. Experts have even begun to hint at the potential formation of permanent lakes in certain areas affected by the deluge.

The following is a selection of satellite images captured by Sentinel-2 on September 10.

To learn more about this event, open the following article:

Unprecedented rainfall causes catastrophic flooding in Greece, leaving massive damage and at least 10 dead

Featured image credit: Copernicus EU/Sentinel-2, EO Browser, The Watchers. Acquired on September 10, 2023