Cold weather front with snow and gale force winds hits Greece

Athens: A cold weather front is hitting Greece this weekend with snow and gale-force winds throughout most of the country.

According to the National Meteorological Service (EMY) temperatures are expected to drop 6 to 8 degrees (Celsius) in southern sections of Greece, remaining low in the north and central Greek areas. Overnight on Sunday to Monday morning, it will be extremely icy in areas.

The winds will remain at gale-force level (8 to 9 on the Beaufort scale) in the Aegean Sea throughout Sunday, dropping to 8 as of midday Monday from north to south. The East Aegean islands in particular will see heavy rain and thunderstorms on Sunday, lasting to the evening on Crete and the Dodecanese islands.

Snowfall is forecast as follows:

– Light snow is expected in Central Greek mountain and semi-mountainous regions, the Peloponnese, and Evia, spreading to Cretan mountains on Sunday. Snowfall in Northern Greece is expected to stop on Sunday.

– On Monday, light snowfall at higher elevations in Central Greece, Evia, the Peloponnese, and Crete, but as of midday it will continue only on Cretan mountains.

Trucks weighing over 3.5 tons (mixed), which had been temporarily banned on Egnatia Odos in northern Greece, would be allowed to travel between Polimilos in Kozani and Panagia in Grevena, according to the Western Macedonia General Police Directorate.

Also allowed to travel were trucks of the same tonnage along the Egnatia Odos section between Thessaloniki and Serres, and throughout the rural network of Thessaloniki Region.

Snowfall started gradually thinning out early on Sunday, while snow has stopped falling in most lowland regions in Western Macedonia. Thin snow is falling on high elevations in the region (at over 1,200 m sea level).

Ferries remain docked following bad weather in Greece

Sailings out of the ports of Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrio were banned due to gale-force winds on Sunday that registered 9 on the Beaufort scale at Aegean Sea locations.

Also banned from sailing were hydrofoils serving the islands of the Argosaronic Gulf (including Salamina, Aegina, Hydra, Poros, and Spetses).

Throughout Greece, the cancelled sailings include those between the following: Aghia Marina-Styra, Volos-Sporades, Kavala-Prinos on Thassos, Alexandroupolis-Samothrace. The Port Authority said that only the Keramoti-Thassos port schedule for the morning schedule would be carried out.

Passengers were asked to call local port authorities or tourist agencies to find out about changes or cancellations.

The Risk Assessment Committee, created a week ago as a result of legislation restructuring the civil protection service in December, held its first session ahead of a cold snap on Friday.

The Committee aims to monitor all dangerous natural phenomena and predict their possible impact on infrastructure, health and safety, decide on the appropriate alert level for state mechanisms and propose precautionary measures to protect life and property.

The meeting focused on organizational issues and coordination, as well as the upcoming bad weather in Greece on Saturday and Sunday.