ATHENS (Reuters) – Residents of the Greek capital, Athens, woke on Tuesday to rare snowfall as the country shivered in the grip of a cold spell, with sub-freezing temperatures in some regions.

The Akropolis hill, national monuments and archaeological sites in Athens were covered with a light dusting of snow and schools in the wider Attica region were closed.

Ice in some northern suburbs turned roads inaccessible, and authorities used gritters to facilitate traffic. Snow has also disrupted some railway and bus service.

Greek meterologists have dubbed the weather pattern “Telemachos”, pushing temperatures to a low of -20.9 degrees Celcius (-4.18 Fahrenheit) in the region of Drama in the north of the country on Tuesday morning.