Extreme low temperatures and heavy snowfall began in Greece on Wednesday evening (local time), as storm “Filippos” settled over the country.
The National Observatory of Athens said that heavy rainfalls and unusually low temperatures will continue in the coming days as cold air from the poles moves over central Europe and the Mediterranean.
Storms are expected to hit the Aegean islands and Crete, with more heavy snowfalls affecting Central Greece, including Pilio and Volos.
Drivers in Attica have been advised to to use chains while the old Elefsina-Thiva national road has been cut off. Larger vehicles are not allowed in Greece’s main Athens-Lamia highway. The ban does not apply to emergency vehicles, road assistance vehicles and trucks carrying salt.
Schools in Central Macedonia, Western Macedonia and Ioannina were forced to close with temperatures ranging from -3 C to 4 C. In western Macedonia temperatures dropped even lower, at -10 C.
Snow also covered the Sporades, Evia and the islands of the northern Aegean overnight., Kathimerini reports.