Greece Dusted With Snow on the First Day of Spring

Greece has been dusted with snow as temperatures across the country have dropped on Sunday, which is the first day of Spring.

Sunday marks the Spring Equinox, when the Sun passes over the Equator, bringing with it roughly the same amount of daylight and nighttime. Often, the Spring Equinox brings with it warmer weather, but not this year.

Snowfall began early Sunday morning in the northern suburbs of Athens, and sleet and rain fell in the center of the Greek capital.

According to experts, the snowfall and low temperatures will continue throughout the day and may even extend into Monday.

Much of the country is currently experiencing rainstorms, sleet, and light snowfall in what is an unseasonably wintry storm for the first day of spring.

Snow recorded in mountainous regions of Greece

While heavy snowfall is not likely, many of the country’s mountainous regions are experiencing snow to a medium degree.

In addition to snow and low temperatures, strong winds have been recorded across Greece on Sunday, with gusts reaching 8 on the Beaufort Scale in the Aegean.

Temperatures in Greece on Sunday afternoon are unseasonably low, with central and northern Greece reaching 8 to 9 degrees Celsius (46 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit) and between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius (50 to 53 degrees Fahrenheit) in the rest of the country.

They will likely reach a frigid -6 degrees Celsius (21 degrees Fahrenheit) across the country after nightfall.

Due to icy and snowy conditions, heavy trucks without snow chains have been temporarily prohibited from the old National Road from Elefsina to Thiva, but standard vehicles, even without snow chains, are permitted to travel on the road normally.

Additionally, Parnithos Avenue, which leads up to Mount Parnitha just outside of Athens, is closed to vehicles due to snow.

Just two weeks ago the country was hit with a snowstorm called “Filippos” which brought with it heavy snowfall and low temperatures.

Greece was hit with heavy snow and frigid temperatures as gusts of cold air made their way to the country from Northern Europe.

Snowfall was so heavy that the Greek civil protection service sent out a message to residents of Attica, Viotia, Fthiotida and Evia, with a strong recommendation to avoid all non-essential travel and use snow chains during the Storm Filippos.