Snow is falling in Greece, the Acropolis in Athens shines in a wintry robe. But the weather also has its downsides, as it largely paralyzes public life.
Athens – The Acropolis is white – but not for the usual reason. Snow has actually been falling in Athens since Sunday (February 5th). Despite Greece’s Mediterranean location, the phenomenon occurs more frequently than you might think and, according to weather experts, is a welcome guest this winter, at least for farms.
Snow in Greece: winter whirls traffic in the capital Athens
“Barbara” is the name of the depression that hits not only Attica, Euboea and Boeotia but also the Cyclades, the Sporades Islands, the islands in the eastern Aegean and Crete. The wintry weather phenomenon last occurred in Greece in January 2022. At that time, the country brought huge amounts of snow, the white splendor in Athens reached up to 40 cm high.
Due to the lack of compulsory winter tires in this area, there was real traffic chaos. Also this year, road traffic will be severely affected by the snowfall. Various bus connections were canceled and numerous ferries also stopped operating due to stormy weather.
Snow in Greece: Weather largely paralyzes public life – “Only what is absolutely necessary”
The winter weather is also noticeable in public life. This is how most schools switched to digital teaching, according to Greece newspaper “Only supermarkets, other grocery stores, pharmacies, gas stations and shops that sell snow chains” are open. How RND wants to have found out, Parliament will also suspend work for the time being.
“We urge people to exercise caution and limit their movements to what is absolutely necessary,” the network quoted fire department spokesman Yiannis Artopios as saying. The Greek civil defense also warned citizens with mobile phone notifications of “dangerous[n] snowfall[n] until noon”. While a lot of sunshine is predicted for Germany this week, the wintry weather conditions in Greece are expected to last for the time being. According to the country’s radio, temperatures should be around freezing until Thursday (February 9th). Due to strong winds, the snow that continues to fall poses a serious risk.
Winter in Greece: Weather experts speak of a “blessing” for agriculture
The snowfall was preceded by a warm weather phase that had brought spring-like temperatures to almost the whole of Greece since November 2022. Given the drought that hit Europe last summer, forecasters say the frozen water is “a boon” for agriculture. Water reservoirs would fill up and the soil would be soaked when the white splendor melted away.
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