Chania officials seek changes to weather thresholds behind Samaria Gorge closures

Chania officials are calling for changes to the weather thresholds used to decide when Samaria National Park closes, after forecasts predicting rainfall above safety limits repeatedly failed to materialize, most recently last Tuesday.

The park remained closed that day based on a forecast from the National Meteorological Service (EMY) warning of rainfall above the safety threshold. According to the report, the rain did not occur, prompting frustration among business owners in Agia Roumeli and Omalos, who say the closures are hurting their livelihoods. Deputy regional governor of Chania Nikos Kalogeris is now raising the issue of revising the weather limits that guide the closure decisions made by the Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (OFYPEKA), while Platanias mayor Yiannis Malandrakis is renewing a proposal to install modern weather-monitoring stations at three points in the gorge.

“The latest forecasting error predicted millimeters of rain, and instead we had sunshine with some clouds — ideal conditions for hiking in the mountains. This shows there is a major problem,” Malandrakis said. He added that it is everyone’s responsibility to protect the value of Samaria Gorge, which has in recent years also received recognition from the Council of Europe. The mayor said OFYPEKA, as the managing body, has ensured smooth operation of the park through timely hiring of sufficient staff, guards and doctors, but noted that the situation created by the area’s microclimate still needs to be addressed.

Kalogeris, commenting on the recent closure, said it “proves clearly that it is genuinely difficult to obtain an accurate forecast for Samaria Gorge, given the particularities of the local climate and terrain.”

Proposal for new weather stations

Malandrakis has proposed since early summer installing three weather-monitoring stations at Xyloskalo, Portes and Agia Roumeli. “As far as I know, no new stations or equipment that can accurately capture the area’s microclimate, as opposed to a general forecast, have been installed. This should have happened already — we had agreed on it in order to reduce forecasting errors,” he said.

In the coming days, local authorities are expected to raise the matter with OFYPEKA and the leadership of the National Meteorological Service. The Chania regional authority is asking for changes to the thresholds concerning dangerously high temperatures and rainfall levels, as well as a review of how wind intensity is assessed as a safety risk. Kalogeris cited past cases where forecasts predicted gusts of up to 9 on the Beaufort scale. “A plane carrying three hundred passengers lands in winds of 9 Beaufort. It’s not that severe, and no other gorge closes because of wind at that level,” he said, adding that the criteria need to be reviewed.

At a broad meeting on June 29 at the Chania regional authority regarding Samaria National Park, shop owners from Agia Roumeli, together with the president of the local community, expressed frustration that the gorge is often closed for long periods without substantial justification, significantly harming the local economy.

Both the Municipality of Platanias and the Chania regional authority have expressed willingness to help OFYPEKA acquire new weather stations, in order to prevent future forecasting errors from affecting the operation of Samaria National Park.