A new digital platform from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) opens, for the first time to the public, a complete archive of flood events recorded in Greece over the past 137 years. The platform, available via webGIS, gathers nearly two thousand reports from 1886 to 2022, presenting the geographical and temporal distribution of floods in the country in a direct and interactive manner.
The new tool is aimed at the scientific community, civil protection authorities, and any other stakeholders seeking a reliable database for prevention and operational planning. Supporting this, the creators of the platform emphasize that systematic flood monitoring provides a necessary foundation for early warning and effective risk management.
The scientific documentation was conducted by a research team at NKUA, coordinated by Professor Niki Evelpidou, with the scientific participation of Professor Konstantinos Kartalis. The team analyzed and categorized floods across the country, interpreting the data using both historical maps and modern indicators such as the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, which shows that intense flood events often follow periods of drought.
The data reveal a clear upward trend. More than half of the floods over the last 130 years occurred in autumn, with October and November accounting for nearly 40% of the total. Eastern Greece is significantly more vulnerable than Western Greece, despite higher rainfall in the west. The concentration of major cities, flat drainage basins, and extensive river systems create persistent risk zones, confirmed by spatial models.
High-resolution maps display the areas where flood events have been consistently recorded over decades, highlighting regions that require immediate prevention and protection policies. The convergence of historical records and predictive models indicates that many of these zones will continue to face increased pressure due to the climate crisis.
The new platform represents, as emphasized by the research team, an opportunity to transform knowledge into a practical protection tool. For civil protection authorities, municipalities, regions, and citizens alike, historicfloods.org provides a complete view of the real risks in the country. In this way, it strengthens the capacity for timely planning in a landscape where extreme weather events are increasingly frequent and threatening.
