It is reportedly the coldest that some parts of Europe have been in 120 years.
While we are still enjoying a relatively pleasant winter here in Ireland, things are very different in mainland Europe, where roads are closed and people have been cut off from the rest of the world due to heavy snowfall and extreme arctic blizzards.
So far, the worst hit countries are Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Turkey, and Greece.
According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur, about one in ten flights in Munich airport – the second largest airport in Germany – have been cancelled due to the snowfall.
Austrian railway company OeBB said several train connections were suspended due to the avalanche risk.
BBC News are reporting that the AccuWeather warning system has issued an arctic blizzard alert for areas of Europe, with their meterologists forecasting that “Berlin faces a freeze as well – and Moscow will see -10C by Monday.”
“Gusty winds can create near-blizzard conditions in the Alps and foothills. There will be a Local StormMax of three feet of snow that will bury the Alps from when snow began on Thursday night into Monday.”
They are also predicting that the cold fronts will expand across the continent:
“We also have wet weather with rain and snow pushing into Scandinavia. As we go into next week, London and Paris will face a drop in temperatures.”
No sign of it hitting Ireland… YET.
Meanwhile, a rare sight is being enjoyed in usually warmer climates: snow in Greece and Italy.
#Corfu town looked absolutely spectacular today covered in a blanket of snow with amazing views! #travel #Greece pic.twitter.com/Yl4dxCd5nt
— Georgios Doukas, CMP, DMCP, CIS (@GeorgiosDoukas) January 4, 2019
Snow on the beach on Paguro Beach, Bellaria Igea Marina, Rimini (N Italy) yesterday, January 4. Report: Maycol Checchinato pic.twitter.com/Cc4TXFAAFk
— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) January 5, 2019
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