A powerful storm swept through the southern tip of continental Greece bringing heavy rains, one fatal tornado, and a barrage of lightning in numbers that are rarely reached on 21 September 2015. The storm pelted the Peloponnese regions of Asprochoma, Kalamata and Skala from 7am local time until around 12pm local time. The storm left two dead in its wake; both believed to be the victims of lightning strikes.
Tornado Destruction
The above image shows a glimpse of the funnel cloud that tore through Skala in Laconia around 8am local time. The tornado also caused serious damage in Asprochoma, Kalamata.
The tornado destroyed homes and stores, uprooted trees, and flipped over cars. The strong winds and flying debris injured 5 people in the area. The region also experienced hail the size of golf balls. It is estimated that over 100 businesses have sustained damage.
Unprecedented Lightning
7am-8am
8am-9am
9am-10am
10am-11am
11am-12pm
In just 5 hours, our ENcast satellite and lightning detection system recorded unprecedented amounts of total lightning moving eastward across the region. The above photos are a time-line of the storm. Notice the large amounts of both in-cloud (purple) and cloud-to-ground lightning (yellow).
The first lightning victim was found in the Skala, the same town in which the tornado hit. He was reportedly hit by lightning while trying to help his flock of sheep seek shelter during the intense storm.
The second lightning victim was a 73 year-old woman found on the island of Salamina.
Flooding
The storm also brought large amounts of rain. The above image from our PulseRad display shows the heavy blanket of precipitation that covered the southern part of Greece. These weather images were generated four times faster than traditional radar.
The effect of the above precipitation was particularly heavy in the towns of Patras and Preveza. Rains soaked Patras; flooding basements and blocking traffic. Historic sites in Preveza were under water after the flood waters reached half a meter in some places.
