Snow blankets Athens, Greek islands and Turkey’s Istanbul

The city of Athens, including the Lycabettus Hill, is covered with snow (Thanassis Stavrakis/AP)

Heavy snowfall has disrupted air traffic in the Greek capital Athens and neighbouring Turkey’s largest city, Istanbul, while several Aegean islands and much of Turkey were blanketed by snow.

The storm, named Elpida, or “hope” in Greece, snarled traffic in both Athens and Istanbul, a metropolis of 16 million people.