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Greece·Natural disasters

Greece natural hazards and disaster risk

Earthquakes, storms, volcanoes, floods, and wildfires. Combines the disaster sub-score with the active event feed from USGS, NOAA, NHC, JMA, GVP, and regional agencies. The Field Manual covers the response protocols.

Disaster sub-score
64Heightened risk
Overall Safe Trip Score 82

Recent signals

  • earthquakeUSGS1w ago
    M 4.6 - 33 km WNW of Fry, Greece
    33 km WNW of Fry, Greece
    Source →
    -1.0
  • earthquakeUSGS3w ago
    M 4.7 - 22 km W of Kéfalos, Greece
    22 km W of Kéfalos, Greece
    Source →
    -1.0

Foreign-ministry advisories

Practical guidance

What the disaster sub-score covers

Greece’s natural-disaster sub-score is 64/100 (moderate band). It combines the country’s long-term hazard exposure (fault lines, tropical cyclone tracks, volcanic chains, flood basins) with the live event feed from USGS, NOAA, NHC, JMA, GVP, and regional agencies. A score drop usually means a specific recent event; baseline hazard exposure barely moves year over year. The events feed above shows what is currently active.

Seasonality matters more than the headline number

Most natural-hazard risk is seasonal. Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November (peak August to October). Pacific typhoon season is broadly May to October. Indian Ocean monsoon flooding peaks June to September in South Asia. North Atlantic storm surge weights winter months. Volcanic and seismic risk is non-seasonal but clusters geographically; a country’s baseline score factors this in, but your specific itinerary’s exposure depends on which region you visit. The country safety guide’s natural- hazards chapter breaks it down by region.

What to actually do

Three concrete steps that move you out of the “tourist who got caught in it” bucket: enrol in your government’s traveller-notification programme (STEP for US citizens, LOCATE for UK, Smartraveller subscription for AU) so embassies can reach you in a major incident; download offline maps of your destination before you arrive (Maps.me or Google Maps offline) because mobile networks fail first in most disasters; and read the relevant Field Manual response guide for the specific hazard your destination carries. How to survive an earthquake while travelling and the wildfire, flood, and hurricane equivalents are linked from the relevant country safety guides.

Related for Greece

Long-form context

Travelling safely in Greece

Greece is broadly safe for travellers, but the structure of risk has shifted in the past decade. Wildfire is now the dominant seasonal threat after the 2018 Mati, 2021 Evia, and 2023 Rhodes disasters; earthquakes recur regularly on the Aegean and Ionian island arcs; and the urban-tourist crime baseline in central Athens is the highest in mainland Greece. This guide unpacks the wildfire-evacuation logistics, the active seismic geography, the Athens-vs-islands pickpocket pattern, and the ferry, healthcare, and embassy contacts that shape practical travel decisions.

14 min read →

Frequently asked about Greece

What natural hazards affect Greece?

Greece's natural-disaster sub-score is 64/100. It combines long-term hazard exposure (fault lines, tropical cyclone tracks, volcanic chains, flood basins) with the live event feed from USGS, NOAA, NHC, JMA, GVP, and regional agencies. Currently active events are listed in the recent-signals feed above.

When is hurricane / typhoon season in Greece?

Atlantic hurricane season runs June through November (peak August to October). Pacific typhoon season is broadly May to October. Indian Ocean cyclone season splits between November to April (southern hemisphere) and April to December (Bay of Bengal). Greece's specific exposure window is documented in the country safety guide.

What should I do if a natural disaster happens while I am in Greece?

Three concrete steps before you go: enrol in your government's traveller-notification programme (STEP for US, LOCATE for UK, Smartraveller subscription for AU), download offline maps because mobile networks fail first in major incidents, and read the relevant Field Manual response guide (earthquake, hurricane, wildfire, flood) for the specific hazard your destination carries.