Cold Front Medea
Trees under a blanket of snow with the Agios Meletios Church in Athens as a backdrop on 16 February
TypeCold wave
Formed13 February 2021
Dissipated16 February 2021
Lowest temperature−19.9 °C (−3.8 °F)
Fatalities3[1]
Areas affectedCentral Europe, Southern Europe, Turkey, Greece

The February 2021 Greek cold wave was a cold wave over Greece, named Cold Front Medea, that arrived on February 13, 2021, and lasted through February 16.[2][3] The cold wave brought strong winds, with gusts over 60 miles per hour (97 km/h), and the heaviest snowfall Northern Greece had experienced since 2008.[4] The weather resulted in the deaths of at least 3 people.[1][5]

Affected Areas

The areas affected by the cold wave were widespread, with the snow reaching coastal areas of mainland Greece and, with some exceptions, on the Aegean Islands, and on Crete. The snowfall in these areas was particularly significant according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service (HNMS) as these areas rarely see snow. During the cold front, the snow heavily affected the regions of Attica, Boeotia, and Evia, causing damage and complications to infrastructure in those regions.[6]

Impact

Cold Front Medea caused widespread disruptions to sea and road traffic, with debris and weather conditions making certain roads inaccessible, and causing flights and ferries to be canceled or delayed. According to a spokesperson for the Hellenic Fire Service, the service received an increased number of calls about blocked roadways as well as requests from people trapped in their vehicles requesting transport to a safe location. Some vehicles were reportedly abandoned on the closed highways.[7][8]

The weather also caused power outages in Athens and a number of its suburbs. According to the Hellenic Fire Service, the power outages temporarily halted the administration of COVID-19 vaccines in the Athens area.[9]

Casualties

At least three deaths were attributed to the cold wave. On Euboea, two men with breathing complications died of respiratory arrest after a blackout disabled their breathing equipment. In Kaminaki, on Crete, a farmer in his 60s was found dead, in the snow, next to his granary.[1][6][9]

Recorded temperatures

The cold front brought unseasonably cold temperatures, and the coldest day recorded was on February 16. The lowest temperature was logged at −19 °C (−2 °F), in the northern city of Florina. On February 16, temperatures were recorded at −0.8 °C (30.6 °F) in Athens, −0.7 °C (30.7 °F) in Alimos, and −0.6 °C (30.9 °F) in Piraeus.[10][11][12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Three people dead after heaviest snow in a decade hits Greece". 16 February 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Elafros, Yiannis (13 February 2021). "Cold front Medea to bring frost and snow". Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  3. ↑ Wichmann, Anna (13 February 2021). "Cold Front Medea Brings Snow to Northern Greece". Greekreporter. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  4. ↑ Tobler, Tom (25 February 2021). "Heavy snow blankets parts of Greece as cold front hits country". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  5. ↑ "greece-blanketed-by-heaviest-snowfall-in". reuters. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  6. 1 2 "snowfall 15-17 feb" (PDF). hnms.Hellenic National Meteorological Service (in Greek). Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  7. ↑ Kokkinidis, Tasos (16 February 2021). "Snow Blankets Athens Causing Traffic Havoc". Greekreporter. Retrieved 16 June 2021.
  8. ↑ "In Athens, rare snow blankets Acropolis, halts vaccinations". New York Post. 16 February 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Greece: Rare snowstorm leaves 3 dead". DW. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  10. ↑ "athens/2021-02". meteo. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. ↑ "pireas/2021-02". meteo. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. ↑ "alimos/2021-02". meteo. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
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