More rain overall, but islands still relatively dry
This winter brought plenty of rain, especially in some parts of the country. According to the National Meteorological Service, the rain not only fell more often but in much greater volumes, balancing out losses in previous years. According to the Athens Observatory, there was 250 percent more rain in Alexandroupolis than in any of the past 30 years. In Corfu the increase was 153 percent, in Methoni 154 percent. At the Plastiras station on the Tavropos River, there were 55 million cubic meters in January, 43 million cubic meters more than in the same month the previous year. Attica’s water reserves also reached record levels; EYDAP reservoirs in the Mornos, Yliki, Marathon and Evinos lakes contained more than 1.2 billion cubic meters, compared to just 160 million cubic meters in 1993. Crete and the Aegean islands were not as lucky this year and there are concerns as to how they will cover heightened demands on supplies in the summer. On average, in Greece only one-quarter of surface water is exploited; the rest just flows into the sea.
