Torrential rains from Storm Agneta have battered Greece, causing severe flooding that has swept cars away and transformed roads into raging rivers, particularly on the holiday island of Rhodes. The storm, which began bringing heavy rainfall across western and northern Greece and the eastern Aegean islands, is expected to persist until Wednesday.

Footage from Rhodes depicted violent flash floods submerging streets and carrying vehicles away. Local media reported that some residents were forced to climb onto their roofs to escape rising water levels, while firefighters responded to numerous calls to pump water from flooded properties. Authorities issued a warning message urging residents and tourists to seek shelter on higher ground and to avoid going outside. Schools were closed on Monday in affected areas.

The civil protection agency advised the public to take self-protection measures, including securing loose objects and avoiding crossings of streams and torrents by foot or car. Warnings were also issued against walking along the coast.

Rainfall is forecast to intensify across the Ionian Islands, coastal areas in central Greece, Epirus, and the western and southern Peloponnese. Thunderstorms are expected to continue lashing down in central Greece.

This event follows a similar powerful storm in Greece weeks prior, which resulted in one fatality. In that incident, a 62-year-old man died on Rhodes when his car was swept away by floodwaters onto a beach. Four cars were washed away during that severe weather event.

Elsewhere, Spain was recently impacted by Storm Adam, which caused significant flooding along the Mediterranean coast. In Valencia, the aftermath was reminiscent of a catastrophic flood event two years ago that claimed over 230 lives. The recent storms in Spain led to four deaths, including an elderly woman found in her home and a man who suffered a fatal heart attack at a campsite. Another body was discovered on a beach near Sagunto, and a woman died after falling into a swollen stream near Barcelona.

During the severe flooding in Spain's Valencia region, security forces conducted over 400 rescues by air and land. In Els Poblets, northeast of Alicante, floodwaters piled cars and vans atop one another as residents attempted to salvage belongings from inundated homes.

Meteorologists indicate that human-driven climate change is contributing to the increased frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events.