Greece is feeling the effects of the extreme weather front “Sophia”, as the low barometric started to cover the country from Wednesday night, initially affecting the Ionian and the west while moving over the rest of mainland Greece during the night with rains and snow in the mountainous and semi-mountainous.
The f”font will affect the country until Saturday, with heavy snow even in areas with very low altitude, high winds and low temperatures.
The regions already feeling the brunt of the front’s force with snow include the mountains of northern Greece and Thessaly, as, according to trikalavoice.gr, throughout the Trikala prefecture strong snowfall was reported from the early morning.
Snow is starting to fall from 7 am in the cities of Trikala proper and Kalambaka.
Civil authorities are on alert to offer necessary assistance, with the Deputy Regional Chief Christos Michalakis personally coordinating efforts actions across the whole mountainous area, while the four Municipalities of the Prefecture are on also on hand.
Today Thursday, January 3, 2019, rain and storms are expected in the Central Ionian Sea and the Aegean as well as coastal regions, while snow is forecast to gradually affect the central and northern mountainous and semi-mountainous areas.
Attica is expecting cloudy patches with rains and local thunderstorms later on Thursday, while snow in the mountains, gradually also covering the semi-mountainous areas is forecast later in the evening with some of the northern suburbs expected to be affected. The temperature will range from 3 to 10 degrees, with a noticeable drop in the afternoon.
Clouds and the occasional snowfall is also forecast for Thessaloniki on Thursday, with the temperatures expected to range between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius.
Temperatures in northern Greece will range between -4 and 4 degrees Celsius, while central and southern Greece will have temperatures between 4 and 10 degrees.
Northerly winds in the north Aegean are expected to reach speeds of 8-9 Beaufort, while the Ionian will see northeasterly winds between 7-8 Beaufort.
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection has advised that citizens be very careful, taking all the precautionary measures for self-protection and to avoid moving unless absolutely necessary, especially in the areas feeling the brunt of the extreme weather conditions.
Meanwhile, the city of Athens is implementing emergency measures to deal with the cold wave, with its services and staff in ready mode. An area on 66 Sophokleous street has been prepared and fitted with heating until Friday 4 January.
Crews from the Reception and Solidarity Centre of the Municipality of Athens will be on the move to monitor and offer assistance as needed to homeless people.
The following phone lines will be available for citizens to report and problems: 210 5246515 – 210 5246516 and the four-digit telephone number of the 1595 Municipality of Athens will be available 24 hours a day for subscription and citizens’ reports on emergencies.
