Authorities on alert as heavy snowfall continues
The cold weather front ‘Barbara’ hit Greece with snowfall that started late on Saturday continued on Sunday as far south as Central Evia, cancellations of boat schedules, and snow chains on tires required in Attica and sections of the Peloponnese.
Meanwhile, the Civil Protection, Fire Brigade, police, regional, and city authorities are meeting again since 11:00 on Sunday morning.
In Attica, traffic police has said drivers moving in the entire road network of the Attica prefecture must carry snow chains or other non-slip equipment. It also banned heavy trucks of over 3.5 tons from several highways. Authorities have also banned such trucks from sections of the Athens-Thessaloniki national road as well.
Police banned traffic in Athens suburbs on Sunday noon: Anastasseos street in Papagos, from its junction with Anatolis street, and in the direction towards Mt. Hymettus, and on Ethnikis Antistasseos street in Kessariani, from Katechaki avenue, heading towards Mt. Hymettus.
Attica traffic police has banned traffic on the following streets as well: the ring road of Penteli-Nea Makri (from Military Hospital of Penteli 414 to Agios Petros), the old National Elefsina-Thebes Road in both directions (from the gas station Revoil – formerly Cyclon – to the boundary between the regions of Attica and Viotia (Boeotia), the rural road of Tatoi-Agiou Merkouriou (from the junction with Chlois Street at the former royal estates to Varibobi), in both directions, and the rural road of Malakassa-Agiou Merkouriou (at the junction with Tyrteou Street in Afidnes), in the direction heading to Agios Merkourios.
In addition, 10 base stations have been set up in central spots north of the Attica region for emergencies. Patrols are also taking place by the Fire Brigade, the Hellenic Police, the Armed Forces and others, including vans by the army and police to help people with mobility issues and renal patients if need arises.
Ship schedules have been suspended at the ports of Piraeus, Rafina, and Lavrio because of the high-velocity winds that in parts of the seas have registered 9 on the Beaufort scale. The strong gale winds have also forced the suspension of the schedules Kyllini-Zakinthos (Western Greece, Ionian islands) and Arkitsa-Edipsos (Evia).
Most of the problems in Central Greece are registered in Central Evia and the Mt. Dirfys area in particular. “We are fully prepared, people and machinery are ready, and we are not facing particular issues right now,” Deputy Regional Director Giorgos Kelaiditis told Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA-MPA). “Everyone is on red alert,” he added.
In the Fthiotida region of Central Greece, heavy machinery is dealing with icy conditions on roads from Lamia to Domokos, to Amfissa, and to Karpenissi. “It was an intense night due to icy conditions, but weather phenomena are becoming more intense as of early this morning, yet we are not having problems,” Deputy Regional Director Elias Sanidas told ANA-MPA on Sunday morning. The national road is not presenting problems, he added.
In Magnissia prefecture – which includes Volos, Mt. Pelion and the Sporades islands – snow removal machines operated throughout the night, while heavy snow intensified early on Sunday morning on Pilio and Skopelos island, and Skiathos island registered 3C (37.4F).
Deputy Regional Director Dorothea Kolyndrini told ANA-MPA that “snowfall is very heavy throughout Magnissia” and said the region is using 72 snow-removal machines on the roads and spreading 1,650 tons of salt to break up the ice. “From the Volos ring road and up, everything is covered in white,” she said. Volos is experiencing heavy snowfall and temperatures of 2C (35.6F). Police has banned travel without snow chains from the Volos suburbs and in the directin of Portaria and Chania.
In Central Macedonia, authorities were prepared and are not seeing great issues, Civil Protection head for the region Charalambos Stergiadis told ANA-MPA. The major Odos Egnatias, linking East-West Macedonia, is mostly open to traffice, authorities said. Strong winds and low temperatures have required snow chains on cars on sections of the old national road between Veria and Kozani and elsewhere, as is true of sections of Chalkidiki peninsula. The Fire Brigade reported 30 trees felled by strong winds in the region of Central Macedonia, based on the number of calls it has received.
In the Peloponnese, snow chains are required in sections of the Corinth prefecture (sections of the Xilokastro-Trikala national road), Messinia (sections of the Kalamata-Sparta national road). [AMNA]
