Fears of a harsher than usual cold front blowing through the greater Athens area on Tuesday caused the regional authority for the area to order schools in nearly 30 municipalities to remain closed, thereby extending the Christmas and New Year's holidays for pupils by another day, at least.
The exact reason cited by the regional government authority, one level below the central government, is the threat of ice and frost on the roadways, as greater Athens residents - especially motorists - are more-or-less judged as inexperienced in driving in such conditions.
Beyond the greater Athens area, heavy snowfall has been recorded in Greece's mountainous or semi-mountainous regions, which comprise the majority of land on the mainland.
In continuing a recent trend by local meteorologists, major storms are now given proper names in the country, with the latest called "Telemachus", after the mythical son of Odysseus (Ulysses).
