Greeks woke up to cloudy skies and unseasonably frigid weather on Monday, with rain, storms, chilly winds and even snow in parts of northern Greece. The cold snap is expected to last for at least two days, according to the National Meteorological Service.
Starting late Sunday, April 6, north and northeastern Greece, which will experience the most dramatic weather changes, were the first regions to be hit by a sharp drop in temperatures, along with heavy rain and thunderstorms. The cold front is expected to move south.
By early Monday morning several areas in northern Greece, including Meteora and parts of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second biggest city, were blanketed in snow, while schools in several municipalities will remain closed for the day. In the Florina regional unit, vehicles are required to use snow chains, particularly in Prespes and Amyntaio.
The snowfall spread to Kastoria in western Macedonia, prompting the civil protection agency to mobilize its resources in order to keep the road network accessible. According to the updated Emergency Weather Bulletin, the weather is expected to worsen throughout Monday with thunderstorms, a sharp drop in temperatures, and dense snowfalls in mountainous regions.
The unseasonably low temperatures will extend to central and southern Greece on Monday and Tuesday, with freezing conditions spreading to inland areas of mainland Greece well into Wednesday. The temperature in western Macedonia is expected to drop below zero to -3 degrees Celsius, while in Athens it will will not surpass 14 degrees Celsius.
Just weeks ago in mid-March, Greece experienced dramatic weather swings, with temperatures soaring to a record March high, only to be followed by a spell of snow and frost.
The temperature soared to 33.7 degrees Celsius (92.66 Fahrenheit) on March 16 in Lasithi, in Crete—the highest-ever recorded for March, according to the Athens National Observatory.
On March 15 a record temperature of 31.4 degrees Celsius was recorded in central Greece, in the town of Livadia.
Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.
“The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas,” Meteo.gr said.
At the same time, clouds of sand from the Sahara blanketed many parts of the country. “To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before,” meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.
Cold northerly winds swept into Greece after March 17, chasing away the dust and sending temperatures plummeting by as much as 20 degrees Celsius.
