Cold snap sends Europe into deep freeze
An ongoing cold wave with heavy snow and record low temperatures has
delayed air flights and snarled road travel across much of Europe..
The Danish National Observatory reported Monday that Northern Jutland
reached minus 3.8 degrees Celsius on Nov. 27, Denmark's lowest reading
in November in the past 120 years..
People attempt to help a stranded motorist after a five mile
wide band of lake-effect snow dumped more than two feet of
snow and closed a 16-mile stretch of the New York State
Thruway December 2 in Buffalo, New York. Some drivers on the
thruway remained trapped in their cars for more than 15
hours. AFP |
Meanwhile, a rare snowstorm with strong winds hit Copenhagen, the
capital of Denmark, on Sunday. The storm blanketed Copenhagen with more
than 10 cm of snow and temporarily closed the city's airport the next
morning for the first time in 25 years..
Heavy snowfall caused the cancellation of 125 flights at the Munich
airport in southern Germany on Monday, a spokesman said..
Capacities were halved at the airport so its two runways could be
cleared of snow..
Road travel in the region was also hampered by accidents and long
traffic jams, police said..
The snowfall caused more than 100 accidents, leading to many minor
injuries. Roads were blocked by more than 50 lorries that crashed or got
stuck in the snow..
Many provinces in western and central France have seen power outages
in recent days because of the bad weather..
Meanwhile, in the Lorraine area in eastern France, some highways were
closed because of snow and low temperatures..
At the same time, wintry weather also paralyzed public transportation
in some cities in central France..
French health authorities also reported that a total of 54 people so
far have been taken to hospitals for treatment after breathing carbon
monoxide due to malfunctioning heating equipment..
Weather forecasters said the cold wave could stay in most parts of
France for the next week. On Dec. 1 and Dec. 3, some areas could
possibly see drop of temperatures to a record low..
In Britain, snow has been seen in England, Scotland, Wales and North
Ireland since last week.
The cold snap gripping Britain dragged temperatures to historic lows
with Wales and Northern Ireland shivering through their coldest November
night since records began, according to the Meteorological Office..
The Met Office said it was the biggest snow in November for Britain
since 1993..
Thermometers in Llysdinam in Powys, Wales, sank as far as minus 18
degrees Celsius while at Loch Fea in Northern Ireland they sank to minus
9.5 degrees Celsius. Xinhua |