Schools across several Greek islands will remain closed on Friday, December 5, as Storm Byron continues to bring intense rainfall, thunderstorms, and strong winds to large parts of the country. Local authorities issued the closures as a precaution, following red-level weather alerts from Greece’s national meteorological service.
The island of Rhodes was the first to announce that all schools—across every level, including preschools, special education units, after-school centers, and municipal cultural programs—will remain shut. The mayor said the decision aimed to ensure public safety as severe weather is expected to intensify overnight.
Santorini followed with a similar order, confirming that all schools and municipal childcare centers will close on Friday. Local officials stressed that the measure protects students, families, and staff from potentially dangerous conditions.
On the smaller island of Tilos, authorities also suspended all primary and secondary school operations after warnings of “particularly hazardous” weather. The municipality cited national civil protection guidelines and updated storm forecasts in its decision.
The nearby island of Symi joined the closures as well, implementing a full shutdown of school facilities as a preventive step.
The Greek National Meteorological Service (EMY) issued updated guidance Thursday, warning that Storm Byron will continue to produce widespread and long-lasting rainfall. In several regions, conditions are expected to be severe, with possible hail and very strong winds.
The strongest impacts on Friday are forecast for central Macedonia, Thessaly, the Sporades island group, the eastern Aegean islands, the Dodecanese, the Cyclades, Crete, eastern mainland Greece including parts of the Athens region, and the Peloponnese. EMY highlighted especially high risk in areas such as Pieria, Imathia, Chalkidiki, Thessaloniki, Thessaly, the Sporades, Evia, the eastern Aegean islands, and the Dodecanese.
Weather conditions are expected to gradually ease on Saturday, with severe phenomena likely to persist only in the Dodecanese during the early part of the day.
Authorities advise residents in affected areas to monitor local updates and avoid unnecessary travel while the storm remains active.
Source: tovima.com
