In Medea’s grip: Cold front still not over

Medea, the second cold front to hit Greece in 2021, has been by far the most serious, with freezing temperatures and plenty of snow across the country. And it’s not over.

In the southern and eastern parts of the country, the weather is expected to worsen.

Theodoros Kolydas, head of the National Meteorological Service, said on Monday that the cold front had already dumped more snow than any during the past 12 years.

The heaviest snow fell on Monday in central Greece, in the regional unit of Fthiotida, where in several places up to a meter and a half of snow fell, and there was even half a meter in seaside locations.

There were also big snowstorms on the island of Evia and in the Sporades Islands, where there were also blackouts.

The was plenty of snow in the northern reaches of Attica and some of the northern Athens suburbs, disrupting transportation. And snow also fell in southern parts of Athens, although freezing temperatures were not recorded within the city limits.

In the northern region of Western Macedonia, there was less snow, but high temperatures remained below freezing, with the lowest temperature on Monday morning at -14 Celsius.

The lowest temperature on Monday was recorded in the village of Metsovouno, near the city of Kozani, where it was -19.9 Celsius.

Besides the snow, there were also high winds; speeds over 80 kilometers per hour were not uncommon, with a peak of 118 km/hour off Karystos on Evia.