Parthenon Covered in Snow as Rare Cold Front Hits Greece

The heavy snow which has been falling throughout Greece has now blanketed the Parthenon, the very symbol of Greece, in white.

The stunning ancient temple was even more striking than usual on Monday, after heavy snowfall added its magic to the archaeological site. The snowfall was so dense that, at times, the Parthenon was not even visible through the flurries.

Such heavy snow is not common in Athens, where snowfall usually melts relatively quickly. Last year, a similar snow storm blanketed the city in white for just one day.

The unusual meteorological event, which has also brought rare snowfall to many Greek islands, has been dubbed “Elpis.”

Although it has been snowing steadily throughout the day, it is expected to become even heavier toward the evening and through the night.

We’re just off the Acropolis hill and the Parthenon is not visible due to a rare snowfall. #weather #Greece #χιονια pic.twitter.com/85dbKarF3T

— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) January 24, 2022

Snow covers Parthenon in Athens, Greek islands

Locals say that the last time this amount of snow fell on the Cyclades was decades ago. The heavy snowfall has caused many problems in the islands, which lack the infrastructure to cope with such severe weather events.

While many Greeks welcomed the beauty of the snowy capital, the heavy snowfall did cause some problems, as several streets in the northern suburbs of the Greek capital, including parts of the main Athens-Thessaloniki highway, were shut down due to snow.

The flurry also caused traffic jams during rush hour, when many were trying to drive to the center of the city.

A 112 emergency alert was sent to residents in Attica on Monday morning to warn them of extremely heavy snowfall in the region over the coming hours, calling on them to avoid all non-essential travel and follow the instructions of the authorities.

The Hellenic Police on Monday advised Attica residents, and especially those in the northern suburbs, to avoid traveling around unnecessarily due to the heavy snow falling in the region, as well as in other parts of the country experiencing severe weather conditions.

The Hellenic Parliament even suspended its operations on Monday due to the extreme weather conditions in the Attica region. Public-sector staff were sent home at noon on Monday, after the Interior Ministry issued a circular permitting them to leave early due to the heavy snow.

It’s snowing in Athens! #Greece #Χιόνια pic.twitter.com/4UbOVn2OMQ

— Savvas Karmaniolas (@savvaskarma) January 24, 2022

Heavy snowfall across Greece

Extreme weather conditions will affect Greece on Monday and Tuesday when snow is expected even in the plains of the country, including the Attica region.

Schools of all levels of education will remain closed throughout Attica on Monday and Tuesday, January 24-25.

Attica governor Giorgos Patoulis, after consulting with the political leadership of the Ministry of Civil Protection, the deputy governors, the mayors and all involved bodies, and evaluating the weather conditions, decided to keep schools closed on Monday and Tuesday for precautionary reasons and taking into consideration the safety of students and professors.

Schools will hold lessons via teleconference on these days.

Authorities have advised citizens to avoid any and all unnecessary travel.