A powerful cold front has swept across Greece, bringing heavy rains, storms and snowfall to much of the country, with temperatures dropping well below seasonal averages, according to the National Meteorological Service (EMY).
The unseasonably wintry weather, which began Sunday, has blanketed regions of Thrace and Macedonia in snow and plunged Athens into a sharp temperature drop of 9 degrees Celsius within hours on Monday. The chill is expected to persist through Wednesday, with the most intense cold during nighttime and early morning hours.
Meteorologist Mr. Tasos Arniakos warned of widespread frost in mainland areas and predicted minimum temperatures as low as -6°C in some locations.
Winds from the north are blowing at 4 to 6 Beaufort, reaching up to 7 in the Aegean, intensifying the cold.
For today, EMY forecasts thick clouds in many areas, with scattered rainfall and sporadic thunderstorms continuing in Crete and the Dodecanese until midday. Light snow is expected on mountainous regions of the mainland.
Daytime temperatures are not expected to exceed 11 to 13 degrees Celsius across most of the country, with frost anticipated in northern mainland regions during the early and late hours.
Relief is expected starting Thursday, with a gradual improvement in weather conditions and a more noticeable rise in temperatures beginning Saturday.