Snow was falling on Sunday morning in Florina, Kozani and other cities of western Macedonia, as well as areas in central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia-Thrace.
The scientific Risk Assessment Committee convened on Sunday, chaired by Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Vasilis Kikilias, to evaluate the meteorological conditions on Sunday and Monday.
According to civil protection sources, the committee made the following recommendations:
– that the circulation of heavy vehicles be forbidden at key locations on major motorways between 18:00 on Sunday until 14:00 on Monday.
– that snow chains or equivalent equipment be mandatory for all the road network in Epirus, Western Macedonia, Central Macedonia, Eastern Macedonia-Thrace and Western Thessaly.
– that schools remain closed in Western Macedonia on Monday
– that mayors decide whether schools will open, depending on local conditions, in Eastern and Central Macedonia.
According to an updated weather warning issued by the National Meteorological Service on Sunday, the weather is expected to deteriorate between Sunday and Tuesday in central and northern Greece. Heavy rain and storms are forecast, especially in the west, with snowfall on the mountains and medium elevations in central and northern parts of the country. In northern Greece, snow may also fall at low altitudes overnight between Sunday and Monday. There will also be a drop in temperatures of about 9-10C in central and northern Greece, and of about 3-5C in the rest of the country.
According to the police in Central Macedonia, snow chains or equivalent equipment were mandatory in the regional units of Kilkis, Imathia, Pella, Pieria and Halkidiki and all the mountain road network of Serres. In Eastern Macedonia-Thrace were essential in Orestiada since 14:00, in the mountains of Xanthi, and from the 4th km of the road from Xanthi to the Greek-Bulgarian border.
In Western Macedonia, snow chains or equivalent equipment were needed between the 18th and 28th kilometre of the Kastoria-Florina road (via Vitsi), from the 1st to 30th km of the Florina-Kastoria road via Vitsi, the 1st to the 28th km of the Florina-Krystallopigi Border Station national road, the 1st to 28th km of the New Florina-Kozani National Road, the 1st to 28th km of the Old Florina-Kozani National Road (via Kleidi), the 17th to 34th km of the Old Florina-Edessa National Road (via Kelli), the 1st to 9th km of the Aetos-Nymphaio rural road, between the Florina junction and the Niki junction on the A-27 motorway, on the Florina-Niki national road from the 1st to 18th km and the rural and mountain road network of Florina.
