What a wonderful surprise. The first rain moistened the soil really well, and the all-night rain will go deep down. Couldn't be better.

So happy for you! It just started raining here, too. They said we would get .50 inches over 3 days, but we got almost 2 inches! 4 1/2 is even better. Hopefully signs of things to come. After our 5 year drought, we had one normal rain winter, and then last winter was ridiculously rainy - twice our "normal". However, I am still nervous about it - every time it rains I get happy - no more complaining! Congrats on your rain -

Jackie

And now it's getting chilly! Oh, yes, fall! Always pleasant to tell our good news to folks who understand. Jackie, congratulations.

There was water in the stream in our valley today: first time in a year and a half I see and hear running water. I got a look at the bed of the bigger Arda, next valley over, downstream of the reservoir. I didn't see any flow today, or even large puddles. Looks like it all sank in.

I am green with envy.

Melissa, that's great news, and I'm sure it was a big relief for you, and your neighbors. I hope you'll gradually get enough good rain to replenish your aquifers and the Arda.

Fingers crossed (let's blame any typos on that!),

Virginia

Good for you Melissa.

I like the word 'gullywasher', I wasn't aware of that term. We actually had one this afternoon, a windy curtain of rain lasting about 10 mins... Not enough to water the soil but enough to turn our hill's streets to raging rivers...

Nik - I dont' know if it comes from there, but in the US South West, astounding amounts of rain from sudden thunderstorms can come in areas which are normally almost desert. There are "gullies" - i.e. dry river or stream beds which are flanked by hills or cliffs, or just high banks. They can turn into raging floods in a few minutes, and unfortunately every year people are killed in the summers because they are camping or just laying in the sun in the dry river beds. Last year several members of an entire family died. That's what I think the term gully washer came from initially, although it has morphed into just meaning a very strong sudden large amount of hard rain.

Jackie

Well, I'm afraid more than 20" of rain falling in just 3 hours caused flash flooding which killed more than 15 people this morning in a poor western Athens suburb... The hills upstream from there had been ravaged by brushfires the previous years.. We got no rain over here...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-41998374

OMG! How horrible for Greece and the unfortunate people affected. Unbelievable. So sorry you got no rain, Nik! This climate change is a bad development.

Sobering, indeed. We certainly need more plants (and fewer fires).

It has been raining here for 4 hours since morning. Lots of rain. I had to break a plastic drainage pipe with the axe because it was clogged with garden debris and water had started to rise outside the basement where my diesel heater and boiler are.. I got wet to the bone. No big deal. The garden is getting a good soaking but I can't rejoyce thinking about yesterdays disaster.

So happy you got some rain!! We are fortunate in the south. We may have a dry spell, but nothing like they may have out west.

Oh no, Nik. What a horror.

Rain has fallen on the garden. Lots of it for our standards. 100mm (about 4") in just a few days. This is about 1/3 our yearly average! It has been the rainiest week for many years and the rainiest month since 2014. As with Melissa, this does not compensate for our extended drought but at least it has refreshed the garden, it has been good for the native plants and has flushed some of the salt buildup accumulated due to irrigation from the topsoil.

Final count for the flood disaster is 21 people dead and 1 still missing.. More than 700 homes and businesses were destroyed and property was lost in one of the regions's poorer areas.. Met service calculates that more than 200mm (8") of rain fell on the hills above the flooded area in just a few hours!

Oh how sad. It’s frustrating to need the rain so badly, and then have it cause such sorrow and pain to some. I’m glad for you that are getting your much needed rain without personal devastation. I can’t imagine the damage 8 inches of rain in just a few hours would cause here. We simply are not set up for that kind of deluge in California. We’d really like some rain here too. Nothing in the forecast, and a short heatwave with temps of 95F on the way.....Lisa

This info on climate change forecasts is specific to North America, but it sounds like intense rainfall events such as that in Athens will become more common for all of us in the future.