January 25, 2006—Fresh from hosting the Summer Olympics, Athens looked more like a Winter Games venue yesterday. The famously sunny city was struck by winter storms that shut down the Acropolis and its Parthenon temple, seen here through snow-laden boughs.

This week the ancient Greek city experienced its third subfreezing day in ten years. More than 400 Greek villages and towns were effectively snowed in—authorities in the Mediterranean country were having a tough time clearing the roads, according to the Reuters news service. (See a map of Greece.)

The southern European cold snap is only the latest sign of an Arctic weather front on the march. Having conquered Russia—Moscow has seen temperatures fall to -22°F (-30°C)— the cold front stormed eastern Europe and the Balkans last week and is continuing south and west. The onslaught has so far taken up to 300 European lives, according to the Times of London.

—Ted Chamberlain

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