Rare early October snowfall blankets Greece’s mountain peaks

Unseasonably early snowfall dusted several of Greece’s highest mountains overnight from Wednesday into Thursday, with Mount Olympus, Kaimaktsalan, and Falakro all receiving a fresh layer of snow — an event described by experts as exceptionally rare for early October.

The snow cover was expected to increase further through Thursday night and into Friday, as temperatures continued to drop sharply across northern Greece.

“Early October snow is extremely rare in Greece,” said Stavros Dafis, a researcher with the METEO unit of the National Observatory of Athens, speaking to Kathimerini. He noted that only four other years — 1983, 1989, 1995, and 2002 — recorded similarly low temperatures during this period, though it is unclear if snowfall occurred in those instances.

The most recent notable October snowfall happened in late October 2017, making this year’s event one of the earliest in recent memory.

While it is too soon to determine whether this early-season snow signals a colder, snowier winter ahead, meteorologists caution against drawing firm conclusions.

Long-term data suggest a downward trend in snowfall across the country. According to METEO researchers, between 1991 and 2020, the average duration of snow cover in Greece decreased by approximately 1.5 days per year — a reflection of broader climate shifts.