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Freezing conditions cause death and chaos across Europe Freezing conditions cause death and chaos across Europe
(about 17 hours later)
Heavy snowfall and below-freezing temperatures sweeping the European continent have caused more than a dozen deaths while halting traffic, grounding flights and crippling ferries. Freezing temperatures across Europe have caused more than a dozen deaths and major disruption to power, water supplies and transport networks in recent days.
At least 10 people died in Poland including seven men on Friday, authorities said. A 51-year-old died when he was asphyxiated by carbon monoxide from a malfunctioning heater. Temperatures as low as -26C (-15F) caused ice to form on the Adriatic sea, the Danube and many smaller rivers, lakes and ponds.
Temperatures in Poland dropped below -20C (-4F) on Saturday and an even colder night was forecast. In Italy eight deaths were blamed on the extreme cold and the authorities said there were two more in Poland on Saturday, bringing the nation’s death toll from winter weather to 55 since the beginning of November. The dead in Italy included a man living in the basement of an unused building in Milan and another on a street flanking Florence’s Arno river. They were among at least half a dozen weather-related deaths of homeless people in the country.
A man died on Saturday in Belgium when his truck slid off a highway. Heavy snow and high winds also resulted in rerouted flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads in Italy. With no indication of a letup, some schools in the south of the country were ordered not to open on Monday because of as much as a metre of snow, the Ansa news agency reported. In Rome the fountains in St Peter’s Square froze overnight.
In Italy sub-freezing temperatures were blamed for the deaths of half a dozen homeless people. Heavy snow and high winds resulted in rerouted flights, delayed ferries, cancelled trains and closed roads, media reported. In Bulgaria police said three people , including a man from Iraq and a Somali woman, had died from cold in the mountains near Turkey as they tried to make their way in to Europe.
With no indication of a letup, some schools in southern Italy were ordered not to open on Monday because of as much as a metre of snow, the ANSA news agency reported. In Rome the fountains in St Peter’s Square froze overnight and dripped icicles instead. Aid workers in Serbia helped hundreds of migrants sleeping rough in parks and makeshift shelters, and the authorities banned river traffic on the Danube because of the conditions.
Temperatures dropped to -7C in Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki and a low of -10C was expected on Sunday, said the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Snow continued to fall on Istanbul, and Turkish Airlines grounded more than 650 flights in and out of the city’s two airports. There was also notable transport disruption in Romania and Bulgaria, though many people in Russia braved the conditions. About 500 cyclists went on a five-mile ride along the Moscow river on Sunday.
Roads were closed temporarily across large swathes of northern Greece due to snow and ice. Cold conditions were expected to hit the UK towards the end of this week, with snow a possibility across most of the country at some point. The wintry weather was expected to start in the north and spread southwards.
Heavy snow crippled Istanbul and national carrier Turkish Airlines cancelled more than 650 flights. The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Bosporus Strait — which runs through Istanbul and is one of Europe’s busiest shipping lanes — was closed and ferry services halted. Steven Keates from the Met Office said: “On Thursday, the showers spread further south and east, putting most places at risk of showers. It is going to turn much chillier, particularly through Thursday and Friday. Some areas could see snow, and some pretty significant snow.”
Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a parking lot after drivers deserted their cars on Friday night to walk home rather than battle the gusting snow and slippery roads. Blizzards and freezing conditions persisted across Europe on Sunday. Temperatures in Poland dropped below -20C (-4F) on Saturday and an even colder night was forecast.
In northern Europe, where residents are accustomed to sub-zero temperatures and snowy winters, police in Denmark warned about icy and slippery roads after dozens of minor traffic accidents. A man died in Belgium on Saturday when his truck slid off a highway.
Temperatures in Latvia were forecast to drop to -30C late on Saturday, the Baltic News Agency said. Temperatures dropped to -7C in Greece’s second largest city of Thessaloniki and a low of -10C was expected on Sunday, according to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute. Roads were closed temporarily across large swaths of northern Greece because of snow and ice.
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency reported that the Bosphorus Strait, which runs through Istanbul and is one of Europe’s busiest shipping lanes, was closed and ferry services halted.
Turkey’s private Dogan news agency reported one of the main highways in Istanbul practically turned into a car park after drivers deserted their vehicles on Friday night to walk home rather than battle snow and slippery roads.
In northern Europe, where residents are accustomed to sub-zero temperatures and snowy winters, Danish police warned about icy and slippery roads after dozens of minor traffic accidents.