Several days of heavy snowfall, Siberian temperatures and high winds across Europe have caused a number of deaths and disrupted road, rail, air and sea traffic today.
Six people died in Moscow overnight as temperatures plunged to levels considered cold even for the Russian capital, bringing this year's death toll from cold to 239, mostly among the homeless and elderly.
ITAR-TASS reported that 10 people died from cold and 66 were hospitalised with frostbite over the Orthodox Christmas holiday.
Tens of thousands of people across Russia were forced to live without heating this week as old or overused heating systems broke down, the news agency said, adding that the Arctic port of Murmansk registered temperatures of minus 48 Celsius.
In Britain, frozen railway points and road accidents plagued havoc with traffic across swathes of the country as a band of snow hit eastern sections and travelled westwards this morning.
Passengers travelling to Britain have been advised to check with their airlines after London City airport was closed due to snow falls.
London's other airports are still open although some flights have being delayed.
Germany, where six people have died so far this month in weather-related accidents, is experiencing record cold following severe flooding last week in the south and east of the country.
A record low of minus 31.2 C was recorded early today in the Bavarian Alps, while further north the Oder River marking the border with Poland has been frozen for several days, with ice as thick as 30 centimeters in places.
In Lithuania three people were found dead overnight, and a number of people had to have legs and fingers amputated because of the frost, as temperatures hit 16-year lows of minus 32.6 degrees Celsius in the southeastern region of Varena.
In Austria several motorways around Vienna were closed to clear snow, but Alpine ski resorts welcomed the long-awaited snowfall.
Meteorologists warned that the Baltic sea could freeze solid if cold temperatures persisted in Scandinavia, where temperatures plummeted to minus 40 degrees Celsius in Lapland, and the Swedish and Finnish coasts.
AFP