THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Snow, ice and freezing temperatures hit parts of Europe on Tuesday, causing treacherous traffic conditions that left at least five people dead in France and forcing the cancellation of hundreds of flights from one of the continent’s busiest airports.
Authorities in the Landes region of southwestern France reported three dead in accidents, and at least two more people were reportedly killed in the Île-de-France region around Paris, where authorities ordered trucks off the road as snowfall caused huge traffic jams on Monday.
Paris awoke Tuesday to a blanket of snow on its famous rooftops and sites, and children whose schools couldn’t hold classes delighted in an unexpected day off. Air travelers were less happy, as heavy snowfall forced the closure of six airports in the north and west of France.
Dutch weather woes
As snow fell across the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport reported that some 400 flights were grounded as crews worked to clear runways and de-ice planes waiting to depart. Hundreds of flights were also canceled Monday in Amsterdam and more snow was forecast for the rest of the week.
Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil.
Limited rail services resumed later in the morning but routes around Amsterdam remained largely closed because of the icy conditions, national railway company NS said on its website. It urged commuters to “only travel if it’s absolutely necessary.”
Commuters forced to drive to work also faced time-consuming journeys as a combination of the snow and ice snarled traffic on some highways.
Thijs Rademakers, an 18-year-old student, decided to ride his bike rather than wait for public transport.
“It was tough, very slippery,” he said in the eastern city of Arnhem. “Many people fall. Luckily, I didn’t.”
Rome’s wet weather limits numbers at pope’s Epiphany blessing
In Rome, weeks of rain that have swollen the Tiber River over its banks again muted Pope Leo XIV’s Christmas-time celebrations. St. Peter’s Square was only partially full Tuesday as a few thousand people crowded under colorful umbrellas to hear Leo deliver his Epiphany blessing from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Rome has been soaked by steady rains since before Christmas, and Mayor Roberto Gualtieri issued an ordinance for Tuesday limiting public access to parks and other areas at risk for falling trees and flooding.
Farther north, snow dusted Bologna and gave skiers in the Dolomites reason to cheer, though freezing temperatures are forecast for much of the north and central part of the peninsula over the coming days.
Temperatures plummet in Britain
A cold snap sent the temperature in northern parts of Britain down to minus 12.5 degrees Celsius (9.5 Fahrenheit) overnight, as snow disrupted rail, road and air travel and closed hundreds of schools.
Horse races and soccer matches have been called off because of snow and frost, a power failure caused by ice closed Glasgow’s subway and Liverpool’s John Lennon Airport was closed for a time on Monday.
Up to 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snow was forecast Tuesday for northern Scotland, where some people have already been snowed in by previous falls. Northeast Scotland lawmaker Andrew Bowie said the situation was “critical,” and called for soldiers to be sent in to clear snow and get food and medical supplies to stranded people.
Icy Balkans
Both heavy snow and heavy rain swept through Balkan countries, swelling rivers and creating problems in traffic and disruptions in power and water supplies. A woman died in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo on Monday after a snow-covered tree branch fell on her head. In neighboring Serbia, some western municipalities introduced emergency measures due to bad weather.
Authorities in Serbia warned drivers to be very careful as many set off toward skiing resorts or elsewhere for Orthodox Christmas on Wednesday and the upcoming weekend. Black ice stopped cars and forced drivers to park on the side on their way to Mount Bjelasnica above Sarajevo on Tuesday morning.
Heavy wind and stormy seas battered the Adriatic coastline in Croatia and Montenegro. Video footage showed the sea sweeping through holiday cottages at Ada Bojana in southern Montenegro during a storm.
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Associated Press writers across Europe contributed to this report.