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Torrential rain of an intensity not seen in decades flooded roads in Athens on Friday, overturning parked cars and stranding dozens of motorists, including a 28-year-old woman who died of what appeared to be a heart attack.

More than six hours of solid rainfall starting at 5 a.m. flooded the streets of the capital, caused two rivers to break their banks and paralyzed public transportation, causing traffic chaos as tens of thousands of Athenians sought to reach their offices during the morning rush hour. Two electricity substations were deluged, prompting power cuts, and the fire service was besieged with more than 800 calls from residents with flooded homes and 100 from motorists stuck in floodwaters.

The amount of rain that fell was equal to the average rainfall for the whole month of February, meteorologists said.

Although heavy rain is not unusual during Greece’s brief winter, an antiquated drainage system in the capital means that streets often remain waterlogged for hours after storms. The scale of Friday’s downpour was unusual, however, with meteorologists referring to the heaviest rainfall in 50 to 60 years in comments on state television.