Snow and freezing temperatures disrupt travel across Europe

Severe winter weather swept across large parts of Europe on Monday and Tuesday, causing deadly traffic accidents, grounding hundreds of flights and disrupting rail and road travel from France to the Balkans.

In France, snow and ice contributed to at least five deaths, including three in the southwestern Landes region and two around Paris, where authorities banned trucks from roads amid heavy snowfall and major traffic jams. Several airports in northern and western France were closed, while Paris woke to snow-covered landmarks and widespread school closures.

Travel was also severely affected in the Netherlands, where snowfall forced Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to cancel about 400 flights on Tuesday, following hundreds more a day earlier. Rail services around Amsterdam were largely suspended due to icy tracks, prompting officials to urge people to travel only if necessary.

Italy faced a mix of heavy rain and snow. In Rome, swollen river levels dampened Epiphany celebrations at the Vatican, while northern regions saw snowfall and freezing temperatures. Authorities restricted access to flood-prone areas as a precaution.

Britain recorded temperatures as low as minus 12.5 degrees Celsius overnight, disrupting transport, closing schools and forcing the cancellation of sporting events. Power failures temporarily shut parts of public transport in Scotland, and some airports were briefly closed.

Across the Balkans, snow, rain and strong winds caused flooding, power outages and transport disruptions. One woman was killed in Sarajevo by a falling snow-laden tree branch, while emergency measures were introduced in parts of Serbia. Stormy seas also battered the Adriatic coast, flooding coastal areas in Montenegro.

Authorities across the region warned of continued hazardous conditions as freezing weather was forecast to persist.