Severe Rainfall and Flood Warnings for Central Greece and Western Turkey; Tornado Kills Four in Antalya

Heavy rain and strong winds will continue to affect parts of south-eastern Europe and Turkey over the next few days, as an area of low pressure in the region has allowed for the formation of powerful thunderstorms.

Authorities in Greece and Turkey have released severe rainfall and flooding warnings, as a further 100 to 150 millimetres of rain is expected this week in central Greece and western parts of Turkey, with locally higher totals possible.

Turkey has already been hit by powerful thunderstorms this week. During a particularly intense thunderstorm in Antalya, a coastal city in the south-west of Turkey, the formation of a tornado resulted in the deaths of four construction workers on Tuesday.

Travelling eastwards towards south Asia, strong winds and heavy rainfall have swept across the Indian regions of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh as Cyclone Arnab made landfall.

The cyclone brought wind gusts in excess of 85 miles per hour (140 kilometres per hour) and rainfall totals in some regions exceeding 200 millimetres. The severe storm prompted mass evacuations of more than 180,000 people, as well as widespread disruption to energy and transport infrastructure.

The cyclone will weaken as it continues to traverse northwards over the coming days, though it will continue to deliver heavy rain to parts of northern and central India.

Heading towards the western Pacific Ocean, Typhoon In-fa was upgraded on Wednesday to super typhoon status, with exceptionally strong sustained wind speeds of 150 miles per hour (240 kilometres per hour), gusting over 185 miles per hour (296 kilometres per hour).

Travelling north-westwards, In-fa is expected to avoid Guam, which was hammered by Typhoon Champi earlier this month. However, it is expected to affect the Mariana Islands, which have already been battered by four super typhoons this year alone.

Meanwhile, across the Pacific Ocean, Tropical Storm Vance has been affecting parts of western Mexico, though it has recently weakened to a tropical depression.

Vance brought heavy rain and dangerous coastal conditions, with the regions of Sinaloa, Durango and Nayarit recording 50 to 100 millimetres of rain, with some areas locally exceeding 150 millimetres. The high rainfall is expected to cause disruption due to flooding and landslides, with dangerous surf and rip current conditions off the coast.