Storm Adel Greece Flooding Disrupts Ferries And Roads

Storm Adel Greece flooding is now turning earlier Corfu and Epirus damage into a broader travel disruption phase across western Greece as Red Code alerts run through November 28, 2025, and heavy rain, landslides, and gale force winds begin to hit roads, ferries, and at least one scheduled flight. The Hellenic National Meteorological Service has escalated its extraordinary warning for storm Adel, while civil protection authorities have placed the Ionian Islands, Epirus, Western Greece, and the Peloponnese on their highest readiness level. For travelers, that means the next forty eight hours should be treated as high risk for flooded roads, cancelled sailings, and weather related delays, and plans should include backup routes, extra buffer time, and a willingness to postpone non essential island hops.

In plain terms, the Red Code alerts and EMY emergency bulletins for storm Adel mean that much of western and northern Greece, plus parts of the eastern Aegean, are likely to see travel disrupted by extreme rainfall, localized flash floods, landslides, and strong southerly winds through at least Friday November 28, especially across the Ionian Islands, Epirus, and Western Greece.

Where The Red Code And Heaviest Rain Will Hit

Greek civil protection officials have formally put four regions on Red Code, the highest alert in their system, covering the Ionian Islands, Epirus, Western Greece, and the Peloponnese from Wednesday through Friday after the EMY upgraded its dangerous weather bulletin. EMY forecasts call for very heavy rain and thunderstorms across these regions, with the most intense conditions expected on Thursday November 27 and Friday November 28 as Adel moves from the Ionian and Epirus eastward into Macedonia, Thrace, and the eastern Aegean.

Local reporting already describes flooding, rockfalls, and landslides on Corfu and in parts of Aetolia Acarnania, where earlier storms had weakened slopes and drainage. Corfu, Paxos, Lefkada, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, and other Ionian islands sit directly in Adel's primary rain band, while Epirus and Western Greece are exposed where mountain valleys funnel runoff through roads and villages. Authorities have warned that additional regions in northern Greece and the eastern Aegean may see their alerts escalated if Thursday's rainfall tracks further east than modeled, which would bring stronger impacts to parts of Macedonia, Thrace, and islands along the Turkish coast.

This new phase sits on top of a week of flood damage in Corfu and Epirus that already left some rural and mountain roads washed out, bridges damaged, and transfers slowed, with local states of emergency declared in northern Corfu and parts of Epirus. Travelers who have been following that earlier situation should now treat storm Adel as an escalation, not a fresh but isolated event.

Roads, Ferries, And Local Transport

On Corfu, local police and civil protection updates highlight how quickly road access can change under Adel's rainfall. Sections of the Paleokastritsa National Road have been restricted or classed as difficult due to debris and water, and local streets such as Spyrou Peroulaki in Potamos have been closed altogether because of damage, with additional landslides reported on other rural routes. Similar problems are emerging in Aetolia Acarnania where swollen streams have spilled over, carrying mud and debris across smaller roads and elevating the risk of sudden closures when culverts or bridges fail.

Ferry operations are also feeling the strain, although impacts vary day by day and route by route. EMY and media outlets warn that Adel will bring gale force southerly winds across much of the Ionian and parts of the Aegean, and past storms with similar wind profiles have triggered sailing bans out of major ports such as Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrio, as well as suspensions on specific lines like Alexandroupoli to Samothrace or Rio to Antirrio. Ferry disruption trackers are already listing suspended itineraries and weather related cancellations in November, and the pattern suggests that more local routes in exposed sea areas could be chopped back or run at the captain's discretion as wind gusts strengthen.

For travelers, this means that even if a port such as Corfu, Igoumenitsa, or Patras appears open, individual sailings may still be scrubbed, combined, or delayed on short notice. Travelers booked on smaller or infrequent lines, especially in the Ionian and along western Peloponnese corridors, should check with their ferry operator on the morning of travel and again a few hours before boarding, and they should build generous slack into any same day flight or rail connections.

Airports, Flights, And Connections

Storm Adel is already affecting air operations at a local level. An evening Aegean Airlines flight from Athens to Corfu, widely reported in Greek media, was unable to land after repeated attempts on a stormy night and was forced to return to Athens because wind and visibility did not meet safe thresholds. That single diversion is not a full scale aviation shutdown, but it is a clear signal that short haul flights into small or weather exposed airports can be disrupted without much warning when squall lines move over final approach paths.

At the same time, Greece's largest hubs are still functioning, although they will feel knock on effects from Adel's rain bands. Live airport condition tools show Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH) carrying a low and decreasing delay status, with ordinary autumn weather at the field itself, even as highway traffic into the city has faced heavy rain related congestion. Thessaloniki Airport Makedonia (SKG) is not currently under the core of Adel's heaviest rain, but EMY forecasts indicate that central and eastern Macedonia and Thrace are likely to see stronger storms as the system shifts eastward on Friday.

Travelers connecting through Athens or Thessaloniki should therefore treat the main hubs as relatively stable, but they should expect late arriving aircraft from western Greece and the islands, occasional weather related flow control measures, and potential last minute retimings of regional sectors. Tight connections through these hubs on itineraries involving Corfu, Ioannina, Preveza, or smaller island airports are especially vulnerable until the most intense bands have passed.

How Long Storm Adel Will Disrupt Travel

Storm Adel was named by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service on November 25, 2025, and is expected to affect parts of Italy, Greece, Albania, and western Turkey from November 25 to 30, with Greece's most critical period centered on Thursday November 27 and Friday November 28. EMY's own emergency bulletins describe heavy rain and thunderstorms for the Ionian Islands and Epirus from late Tuesday and Wednesday, expanding into Western Greece, the Peloponnese, central mainland Greece, and then into Macedonia, Thrace, and the eastern Aegean as the system translates east.

That forecast implies that western Greece and the Ionian are likely to see their worst cumulative rainfall through Thursday and early Friday, after which the focus shifts toward northern and eastern regions, although lingering showers and localized flooding could persist as rivers and drainage systems process runoff. Because some roads and bridges were already damaged in previous storms, infrastructure in Corfu and Epirus may take longer to fully recover even once the rain stops, and fresh landslides on saturated slopes remain possible over the weekend.

For planning purposes, travelers whose trips involve western Greece and the Ionian should, where possible, shift more discretionary drives, ferry crossings, or mountain hikes to Saturday November 29 or Sunday November 30, when alerts are expected to ease or move east, accepting that local cleanup work could still cause detours. Those heading to eastern Aegean islands or northern Greece later in the week should monitor EMY updates and local news for any Red Code extension, but can reasonably expect sharper, shorter episodes of heavy weather rather than the multi day battering seen in Corfu and Epirus.

Background: How Red Code And 112 Alerts Work In Greece

Greece's civil protection system combines EMY's extraordinary weather bulletins with color coded readiness levels and mobile 112 alerts that can reach residents and visitors in affected areas. A Red Code alert is the highest status and signals that the state expects major impacts from severe weather, which in practice often means pre positioned emergency crews, school and road closures, and advice to avoid non essential movement.

During storm Adel, authorities have already used the 112 system to send messages to residents in Corfu and Aetolia Acarnania, explicitly urging them to limit travel because of heavy rain, flooded roads, and landslide risk. Visitors with foreign phone numbers roaming on Greek networks receive the same alerts, so any traveler who hears the 112 tone or sees an urgent message should treat it as a serious operational warning, not a generic weather notification.

Adept Traveler has been tracking this week's Greek weather impacts from the earlier Corfu floods and road closures through the wider Corfu and Epirus floods travel disruption phase, and storm Adel now represents the next step in that evolving picture. Travelers can use those earlier reports to understand which roads, bridges, and rural areas were already compromised before Adel arrived, then layer today's Red Code alerts and EMY bulletins on top.

What Travelers Should Do Next

Anyone currently in western or northern Greece should check their hotel or local host for the latest access information and ask specifically about roads that have been narrowed, partially washed out, or closed by police. Self drive travelers should avoid unlit mountain roads after dark, respect all official roadblocks, and cross check navigation apps against local advice, because mapping software will not know about newly collapsed sections or fresh mudslides.

Those scheduled to travel by ferry over the next two days should verify sailings with operators or local agents before heading to port, keep alternative travel dates handy, and refrain from locking in back to back ferry and flight connections while Adel is active. Airline passengers, especially on domestic routes into or out of Corfu and western Greece, should download carrier apps, sign up for alerts, and consider moving to earlier or later flights on the same day if offered, ideally choosing departure times that avoid the worst storm bands in their particular region.

Finally, travelers planning December itineraries that pass through Corfu, Epirus, or smaller western Greek towns should monitor how quickly local authorities can reopen and secure damaged roads once Adel has passed. Even if sunshine returns within a few days, there can be a lag between visible calm weather and fully restored transport capacity in flood hit regions, and more conservative connection windows and route choices can keep trips running more smoothly.

Sources

• Weather: New emergency bulletin from the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) for storm "Adel"
• Civil protection ministry places four regions on red alert
• Severe Weather "Adel": Problems in Corfu and Aitoloakarnania - Where it will strike in the coming hours
• Storm Adel Batters Western Greece, Forcing School Closures
• Alerts issued as severe storms hit Corfu and Aetolia Acarnania
• Severe weather system "Adel" approaching Greece with heavy rain and thunderstorms
• 2025-26 European windstorm season, Storm Adel
• ATH, Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, current delay status
• Corfu floods road closures disrupt transfers and self drive trips
• Corfu and Epirus floods disrupt roads and transfers