Europe's cold blast: Iconic Greek monuments coated in snow

The snow covers some parts of the ancient Acropolis hill and Plaka the tourist district of Athens. Photos / AP

Athens awakened to a coating of snow today, thanks to a storm system and a shot of cold from central Europe penetrating south, into the Mediterranean.

Snow covered several of the city's famed landmarks, including the Acropolis hill, the archaeological site of the temple of Zeus and the Academy of Athens.

It even reached Artemida, a seaside town about 65km east-southeast of Athens.

In the Greek capital, the snow closed schools and disrupted bus and rail operations in the northern suburbs. According to Greek Reporter, "many roads" were closed due to icy conditions.

Snow in Athens is not uncommon. The Greek Reporter found that it falls about 4.5 days per year on average in the city.

Even so, the intensity of the cold has been notable.

Reuters reported an all-time low of -23C in northern Greece's Florina. Meteorologists named the responsible weather pattern Telemachos after the mythical character, the son of Odysseus.

The cold and snow in Greece fit into a wintry weather pattern that has gripped large parts of central and southern Europe to begin 2019.

"Europe has arguably had the most interesting weather pattern anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere in the first days of 2019, resulting in feet of snow and coastal flooding, high winds and blowing dust in parts of Europe and the Middle East," Weather.com reported.

The jet stream has plunged south from Scandinavia through central Europe into the eastern Mediterranean.

AP reported that at least 13 people have died in weather-related accidents in Europe over the past week, mostly from avalanches.

The archaeological site of the temple of Zeus and the National Garden in Athens.