The storm «Elpis» is currently affecting the country, with its main characteristics being very low temperatures, heavy snowfall even in low-lying areas of northern and eastern Greece as well as on the Aegean islands, and northerly winds of 8 to 9 Beaufort in the east. Starting today, a gradual drop in temperature is expected throughout the country. It should be noted that from Monday through Wednesday, temperatures will be very low, with highs not exceeding 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. At the same time, frost will be severe and, especially in central and northern parts of the country, locally widespread.
Snowfall:
On Saturday, January 22, 2022, snowfall will affect even lowland areas, initially in Macedonia and Thrace and gradually in Thessaly, Eastern Central Greece, and Euboea. Toward evening, snowfall will begin throughout the Aegean Sea, and in some areas of the central and northern parts of the region, it will be heavy.
On Sunday, January 23, 2022, the weather conditions are expected to ease on the mainland, while heavy snowfall will continue intermittently in Euboea and throughout the Aegean.
On Monday, January 24, 2022, snowfall will intensify and will be locally heavy, initially in the Central and Northern Aegean, Euboea, Eastern Thessaly, and Eastern Central Greece, and will gradually spread to the Eastern Peloponnese and throughout the southern Aegean, extending as far as Crete and the Dodecanese. Snowfall will occur intermittently in Macedonia and Thrace.
On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, the weather conditions will ease in the northern part of the country, but heavy snowfall will continue in the rest of the country.
Gale-Force Winds:
On Monday and Tuesday, stormy to very stormy north-northeasterly winds will prevail in Eastern Greece and especially in the Aegean region (8 to 9 Beaufort).
Citizens can stay informed on a daily basis about the development of extreme weather events through the regular weather reports issued by the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (EMY) and on the EMY website at www.emy.gr
The government is on high alert – The Fire Department, police, Armed Forces, Civil Protection, and local authorities are on high alert
The entire national response system is on high alert and on the lookout for the severe weather system «Elpis,» which is expected to hit the country. As decided yesterday at a broad coordination meeting chaired by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Christos Stylianidis, and attended by the Minister of State, Akis Skertsos, Unified Coordination Centers will operate in the Regional Units expected to be affected by the severe weather, with the participation of the Fire Department, the Hellenic Police, the Armed Forces, local government, and all relevant agencies, just as was done during the ‘Ballos« and »Diomedes« storms. In addition, the 112 emergency number will be activated if deemed necessary to send warning messages to residents, depending on the course of the weather events. Fire departments in the regions where these phenomena are expected to occur have been placed on high alert, with the option to further escalate their response if required, to address any problems, while the Armed Forces throughout the country are also on standby to provide personnel and equipment wherever needed. Furthermore, all relevant agencies are ready to contribute by intervening immediately in case of an emergency caused by adverse weather conditions, in accordance with the General Plan for Emergency Response and »Immediate/Short-Term Management of the Consequences of Snowfall and Freezing Conditions, codenamed ‘Voreas.«.
As Mr. Stylianidis noted, all agencies will be on full alert around the clock for the entire duration of the phenomena, and he emphasized that the entire response mechanism, on full alert, will do everything possible to keep the country functioning and to resolve any problems caused by the severe weather as quickly as possible. Furthermore, as he said, the wave of bad weather is coming in two waves, and measures have already been taken in both municipalities and regions with snowplows, and by purchasing salt to keep the National Road Network open. Furthermore, as he noted, based on meteorological forecasts, special attention is being paid to the areas south of Thessaly because, starting Monday, weather conditions there will be particularly severe, as well as in the northern and eastern Aegean.
At the same time, Deputy Minister of the Interior Stelios Petsas emphasized that instructions have been issued to municipalities to take all appropriate measures to facilitate the vaccination process and ensure that citizens can visit vaccination centers without any obstacles.
The Attica Region is also on high alert, as was emphasized at a meeting yesterday, in order to effectively protect citizens and assist municipalities in addressing local needs. The Regional Governor of Attica, George Patoulis, noted that the Region has taken all necessary measures to keep the major roads under its jurisdiction open and asked the mayors to focus on clearing municipal roads under their jurisdiction.
To effectively respond to the impending severe weather and protect citizens, the Region has deployed 80 pieces of equipment, including snowplows, earth-moving equipment, and 2 rescue vehicles. 2,500 metric tons of salt have been distributed, and 250 personnel are on 24-hour standby to serve and protect citizens.
HEDNO is also on high alert, as its crews have been dispatched to islands and other hard-to-reach areas where power supply issues may arise, so that they can intervene immediately if necessary. In addition, HEDNO has made a toll-free hotline available to the public for reporting outages (800 400 4000).
Please note that a new coordination meeting will be held on Sunday, January 23, to reassess the situation.
Recommendations of the General Secretariat for Civil Protection to citizens
The General Secretariat for Civil Protection urges citizens to be especially cautious, to avoid non-essential travel during the peak of these weather events (heavy snowfall, icy conditions) and to strictly follow these basic guidelines:
In particular, in areas where snowfall and frost are expected:
If they are traveling by car:
- Be informed about the weather and road conditions
Have snow chains in their vehicle and a full tank of fuel.
Travel, if necessary, preferably during the day, choosing main roads.
Inform their relatives about the route they are going to take
Change their travel plans to avoid the peak of weather events.
Follow the instructions of the local authorities, such as the traffic police, etc., to the letter.
If traveling on foot:
- Dress in several layers of light clothing instead of one heavy garment and wear appropriate footwear to avoid injuries due to slippery conditions.
See detailed instructions for:
Snowfall: https://bit.ly/3GPVFsx
Frost: https://bit.ly/3tNp6b2
Thunderstorms and strong winds: https://bit.ly/3qLNZSy
For information and announcements regarding the current situation and the passability of the road network due to flooding or snowfall and frost, citizens can visit the Hellenic Police website. www.astynomia.gr
For more information and guidelines on how to protect yourself from severe weather events, citizens can visit the website of the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection at the following URL: www.civilprotection.gr
The latest forecast data from the National Observatory of Athens
According to the latest forecast data from the National Observatory of Athens / meteo.gr, atmospheric circulation over Europe will favor the movement of polar air masses toward our country in the coming days. The cause of this significant cold snap is the intense waviness of the jet stream over Europe. The jet stream is a powerful air current at an altitude of approximately 10 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, moving from west to east. The jet stream is found in regions where there is a significant temperature difference between two air masses, and the jet stream’s movement determines the formation and movement of barometric systems. This intense oscillation of the jet stream, which is already taking place, is driving the formation of a large-scale and persistent atmospheric pressure dipole between Western and Eastern Europe, thereby favoring the prevalence of northerly winds and the transport of air massesof polar origin toward our country for several days.
