Greece blanketed by heaviest snowfall in 12 years
Author of the article:
Reuters
Reuters
Publishing date:
Feb 15, 2021 • 20 hours ago • 1 minute read
Panagiotis Economou shovels snow from the entrance of his property during heavy snowfall, in the village of Kapandriti, Greece, February 15, 2021. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis ORG XMIT: PPP-AKO118
Panagiotis Economou shovels snow from the entrance of his property during heavy snowfall, in the village of Kapandriti, Greece, February 15, 2021. Photo by ALKIS KONSTANTINIDIS /REUTERS
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ATHENS — The heaviest snowfall to hit Greece in 12 years triggered power cuts, disrupted transport and trapped people in their homes on Monday.
A cold front swept across the country from Saturday, driving temperatures down to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit) in northern Greece and causing rare snowfall in Athens after a period of unseasonably warm weather.
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The head of the National Meteorological Service, Theodoros Kolydas, said the snowfall was the “fiercest, in terms of intensity and volume, in 12 years.”
In the town of Kapandriti, a few miles north of the capital, snow blanketed roads and vehicles.
A man walks on a snow covered street during snowfall in a northern suburb of Athens on February 15, 2021. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
A man walks on a snow covered street during snowfall in a northern suburb of Athens on February 15, 2021. Photo by ARIS MESSINIS /AFP via Getty Images
“I haven’t (seen) this in 10, 12 years. It’s a lot of snow,” resident Panagiotis Oikonomou said as he cleared the entrance of his home with a shovel.
Power cuts were reported across mainland Greece and on islands off its eastern coast that were lashed by gale force winds, the main power grid operator said.
At least six people have had to be rescued from the snow since Sunday, the fire brigade said.
Authorities briefly closed off sections of highways and appealed to the public to avoid non-essential travel.
The meteorological service issued a severe weather warning on Monday as the cold front is forecast to persist until Wednesday, moving further south including to the Mediterranean island of Crete.
ATHENS — The heaviest snowfall to hit Greece in 12 years triggered power cuts, disrupted transport and trapped people in their homes on Monday.
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