An unusually cold weather event swept across Greece during the May Day holiday weekend, bringing low temperatures and snowfall to mountainous areas across the country.
According to Meteo, the weather service of the National Observatory of Athens, snowfall in early May is not unprecedented in Greece, with similar events recorded in the past (notably in 1963, 1987, 1989, 1995, and 2020). However, this particular episode stands out due to both its intensity and its wide geographic reach.
As noted by the Observatory’s research director, Kostas Lagouvardos, the deviations from normal levels were historically significant. “The temperatures we recorded in many areas, including Athens, were 12 to 13 degrees Celsius lower than the seasonal average,” Lagouvardos said.
Data on Mt. Parnitha
Particular attention has been drawn to the snowfall recorded on Mount Parnitha, just outside Athens, on May 2–3, 2026. Snow cover in the Attica region at the start of May is a rare occurrence and sets this event apart from similar past episodes.
Available data shows that the last time Mount Parnitha was covered in snow in early May was in 1987, following snowfall at the end of April. The latest recorded snowfall on Parnitha dates back to May 25, 1911, according to Meteo records.
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Temperatures in central Athens
Alongside the snowfall, unusually low daytime temperatures were also recorded. At the Thissio weather station in central Athens, the maximum temperature on May 2, 2026, did not exceed 15.2°C—well below the normal average May high of 24°C.
Comparisons with the lowest recorded maximum temperatures from previous years show that the 2026 event ranks among the coldest early May periods in recent decades, confirming its exceptionally unusual nature for the season.
What the weather stations recorded
On Saturday, May 2, the 24-hour maximum temperature at Thissio was 15.2°C—the lowest maximum temperature ever recorded for that specific date since records began in 1890. “We are talking about an all-time record temperature (…) Although climate always has strong natural variability, it is very likely that this phenomenon is linked to the climate crisis and climate change,” Dimitra Founda, Research Director at the Institute for Environmental Research and Sustainable Development of the National Observatory of Athens, told ERTnews.
According to measurements from the National Observatory of Athens, the first two days of May saw temperatures unusually low for the season.
Specifically, the average 24-hour temperature on May Day was 13.3°C, placing it among the four lowest recorded in Athens over the past 135 years. The coldest May Day was in 1944, with an average temperature of 12.1°C, followed by 1987 and 1988 with averages of 12.7°C and 13.2°C respectively.
The average 24-hour temperature on May 2 was 12.3°C, the second lowest recorded for that date since 1890, after the 11.4°C recorded on May 2, 1944.
From Monday, May 4, the severe weather is expected to give way to a completely different pattern, with temperatures rising significantly and forecast to exceed 27°C later in the week.
