A striking video from Potamos beach in Epanomi, just outside Thessaloniki, has gone viral after showing the sea surging inland and flooding the entrance road and local beach bars. The dramatic clip, filmed last Sunday and shared on Facebook, captures seawater advancing well beyond its usual shoreline, prompting concern among residents.
According to Giannis Krestinitis, emeritus professor of Coastal Engineering and Oceanography at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the event was caused by "flood tide", a phase of the tidal cycle during which sea levels rise and water moves landwards. He stressed that the incident was "not something strange", explaining that specific meteorological and oceanographic conditions can intensify the effect locally.
Watch the footage:
Similar scenes were reported across parts of Central Macedonia. Powerful winds sweeping across the Aegean Sea also triggered coastal flooding along the Katerini seafront in northern Greece on Sunday, prompting local authorities to request that the area be declared a state of civil protection emergency.
Emergency state requested as giant waves batter northern Greece seafront
Northern Greece's coastal infrastructure, where tourism and seaside leisure are central to the local economy, is increasingly exposed to extreme weather as shifting wind patterns and rising sea levels intensify such events.
