A message via 112 was sent to the residents of North, North-East and North-West Attica at 6.59 on Saturday afternoon, warning them of dangerous snowfall from the early hours of Sunday 5 February in their area.
At the same time, the residents of the said areas are asked to limit their movements and to follow the instructions of the authorities.
An imminent cold snap in Greece is keeping municipalities on alert on Saturday as it is expected to affect all the country bringing snow at even low altitudes in eastern and southern parts, including Attica.
The government has addressed a strong recommendation to citizens to limit outdoor activities. A meeting has been scheduled for later in the day with the participation of the president of the umbrella union of cities and towns KEDE and representatives of the regions.
A significant drop in temperatures is expected in Greece as of Saturday night and moving from north to south, according to the latest forecast by the National Observatory of Athens weather service meteo.gr. The phenomena are expected to continue until next Tuesday.
Temperatures will plunge by 8-10 degrees Celsius on average and as much as 12 Celsius in places, affecting the entire country by Sunday afternoon.
Snow is expected to fall at even low altitudes, especially on the mainland and in eastern and southern parts of Greece. Most affected will be the Sporades islands, southeastern Thessaly, Evia, Viotia, Attica, the Cyclades islands, the eastern Peloponnese and Crete.
Sections of Thrace, the northeastern Aegean islands and Halkidiki may also experience snowfall.
Northerly winds will become stronger, reaching as high as 7-8 Beaufort and even 9 in some areas, combined with freezing temperatures in the north.
This is the result of a high pressure front over Europe extending from northwestern Africa to Scandinavia, combined with low pressures in East and Southeastern Europe, which will send cold air masses toward the Balkans and Greece.
In addition, a microturbulence in the upper troposphere will contribute to significant snowfall in the east and south of the country, though the intensity, extent and precise timing of the phenomena are hard to predict.
