Floods in central Greece cause one death

ATHENS—Police in Greece on Tuesday banned vehicle traffic on the roads in the central town of Volos and the nearby mountainous region of Pilion due to a powerful storm that turned roads into flooded torrents.

The ban, which affects all vehicles except emergency and roadside assistance vehicleswill remain in effect until the storm subsides, the police explained.

Firefighters reported the death of a man in Volos due to a falling wall, and another man disappeared, believed to have been swept away by the current.

Authorities sent alerts to the cell phones of residents in other areas of the center of the country, in the Sporades archipelago and on the island of Evia, asking that outdoor activity be limited due to the storm.

According to the forecast of the Greek meteorological agency, the Pilion region could receive between 65 and 70 centimeters (between 25.5 and 27.5 inches) of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, while in the town of Karditsa, also in the center of the country, Between 55 and 60 cm (21.5 and 23.5 inches) are expected.

The average annual rainfall in the capital region, Athens, is about 40 cm (15.7), the agency added.

The extreme weather comes after large fires that have swept the country in recent weeks, with some burning vast swaths of forest and farmland for more than two weeks. More than 20 people died in the fires.