Storm Erminio struck Greece on Wednesday, triggering mass emergency alerts across Athens and much of the Peloponnese as authorities warned of flooding, landslides and severe disruption through Thursday. The 112 emergency alert system sent a mass text to all mobile phones in Attica at 2:15 p.m., urging residents to avoid non-essential travel until midnight — the latest in a series of alerts issued earlier in the day for the Peloponnese regional units of Argolida, Corinth, Arkadia and Lakonia.

Greece’s Risk Assessment Committee, which met Wednesday morning under civil protection secretary general Nikos Papaefstathiou and Minister Giannis Kefalogiannis, flagged landslide risk in historically vulnerable areas and reminded drivers they are legally required to carry snow chains.

Seven regions are under Red Code civil protection status: Attica, Central Greece, Thessaly including the Sporades, the Peloponnese, the South Aegean, and the regional units of Imathia and Pieria in Central Macedonia. Authorities have warned of locally intense rainfall with possible precipitation exceeding 80 millimeters, extensive flooding, a significant risk to life, possible area evacuations, and serious disruption to transport, communications, electricity and water supply.

More specifically, red alerts are in force Wednesday for Attica, the eastern Peloponnese, eastern central Greece, Euboea, Thessaly, the Sporades and the Dodecanese. Orange warnings cover the Ionian Islands, the Cyclades, Crete, the Eastern Aegean and Pieria. Gale-force winds of up to 10 Beaufort are expected in the Dodecanese, with heavy snowfall forecast in the mountains of Epirus and Macedonia.

The storm will carry into Thursday. Crete — particularly its western and southern parts — will be under a red alert from midday through late night. Orange warnings will cover the western and southern Peloponnese, northern Euboea, eastern Thessaly, eastern central Greece, the Macedonian regional units of Chalkidiki and Serres, eastern Macedonia, Thrace and the Eastern Aegean. The Risk Assessment Committee will reconvene in the morning.