As Quakes Rattle Greek Islands, a Few Brave Tourists Enjoy Having Santorini to Themselves 

Tourists carry their luggage as they leave the village of Fira, following increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Tourists carry their luggage as they leave the village of Fira, following increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. (Reuters)
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As Quakes Rattle Greek Islands, a Few Brave Tourists Enjoy Having Santorini to Themselves 

Tourists carry their luggage as they leave the village of Fira, following increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. (Reuters)
Tourists carry their luggage as they leave the village of Fira, following increased seismic activity on the island of Santorini, Greece, February 4, 2025. (Reuters)

More Greek islands closed schools Tuesday as hundreds of earthquakes ratted the Aegean Sea, while a handful of hardy tourists enjoyed having Santorini’s stunning views to themselves.

Thousands of residents and seasonal workers have left the Cycladic Islands as hundreds of quakes up to magnitude 5 were recorded in the volcanic region since Friday. Ferry and commercial flight operators added services to accommodate departures.

The quakes have caused cracks in some older building, but no injuries have been reported so far. On Tuesday, schools were shut on 13 islands, up from four the previous day. Santorini earlier canceled public events, restricted travel to the island and banned construction work in certain areas.

Efthimios Lekkas, head of the state-run Earthquake Planning and Protection Organization, said the epicenter of earthquakes in the Aegean Sea was moving northward away from Santorini, emphasizing that there was no connection to the area's dormant volcanoes.

“This may last several days or several weeks. We are not able to predict the evolution of the sequence in time,” Lekkas told state-run television.

In Santorini’s main town, Fira, the narrow, whitewashed streets along the island’s clifftops were deserted — a rare sight even in the off season — except for small pockets of tour groups, many from Asian countries.

Joseph Liu, from Guangzhou in southern China, said he had wanted to visit Santorini for years after seeing it in a documentary. He joined family and tour group members on a balcony deck typically used for high-end wedding receptions.

“This place is amazing, really beautiful. Just like I saw in the program: the mystery, the scenery,” he said. “The (group) leader told us about the earthquakes before we came so it was not a surprise.”

Retired police officer and ship worker Panagiotis Hatzigeorgiou, who has lived on Santorini for more than 30 years, said he has turned down offers to stay with relatives in Athens.

“Older residents are used to the earthquakes ... But it’s different this time. It’s not the same to have earthquakes every 2-3 minutes. The main thing is not to worry,” he said, adding with a laugh: “Now we can listen to music alone and have coffee by ourselves.”

In Athens, government officials are continuing to hold daily high-level planning and assessment meetings with briefings from island officials.



Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
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Greece Experiences Weather 'Rollercoaster'

 A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)
A person holds a kite amid fog at Palaio Faliro suburb in Athens, Greece, March 15, 2025. (Reuters)

Greece is riding a weather "rollercoaster", with weekend temperatures spiking to a record high for March just ahead of a forecast bout of snow and frost, meteorologists said on Sunday.

The mercury soared to 31.4 degrees Celsius (88.5 degrees Fahrenheit) on Saturday in the central town of Livadia -- the highest-ever recorded for March, according to National Observatory of Athens’ Meteo.gr.

Across the country, other weather stations registered temperatures more typical of balmy May than the closing days of winter.

"The very high maximum temperatures recorded during the last four days (from Wednesday to Saturday) in the country, were record highs for the month of March in many areas," Meteo.gr said.

Following a surge of wildfires, a nationwide ban on burning material on rural properties is in effect until March 18.

"To have such temperatures so early in March, this has never happened before!" meteorologist Panagiotis Giannopoulos told ERT television.

The unusual spike was attributed to a blanket of Saharan dust in the air.

This winter is listed as the 13th warmest in Greece. The previous one, in 2023-2024, remains the warmest on record.

Inhabitants in Greece will have to brace for plunging temperatures from Tuesday, though, weather-watchers said.

"A cold air mass on Tuesday will give showers and snow all over the country," Giannopoulos said.

"In Athens, where today we have 27 degrees the maximum temperature will be 11 degrees. This is a rollercoaster," he added.

The abrupt change is particularly problematic for the agricultural sector.

In Greece's region of northern Macedonia -- which experienced 27 degrees on the weekend -- the expected frost is set to cause severe damage to fruit trees that are in full bloom.

Greece has become a climate-change hotspot. It had its hottest summer and warmest winter on record in 2024, according to data from the Meteo.gr network.

The year brought unprecedented temperatures, extreme rainfall and a notable frequency of impactful weather events.

Thirty-one significant weather incidents disrupted daily life in 2023, well above the 2000-2024 average, while nine weather-related deaths were registered.