FRESH snowfalls blanketed parts of Europe yesterday, prolonging travel chaos and a deadly freeze. Elsewhere a thaw set in, bringing the threat of flooding as the grip of arctic weather eased.
Southern France was the worst hit, with authorities urging holidaymakers to delay journeys home after bad weather closed several motorways and virtually sealed off ski resorts. Fresh snow also fell on Belgium, where six people have perished from cold.
Up to 200 have died across Europe in the worst winter weather for 30 years.
Five froze to death after New Year drinking sessions in Moscow and a record 383 broke bones by slipping on icy pavements.
In Western Europe, the homeless, elderly, and those with too much seasonal spirit inside them have been the main victims of temperatures as low as minus 26 degrees Celsius (minus 15 Fahrenheit).
The death toll from the bad weather in Britain rose to 14 with the discovery of a man's body in the snow in Kent. He disappeared following a night out with a friend.
A 23 year old man found unconscious overnight on a frozen lake in Warwickshire died some hours after being taken to hospital. In Dorset a 47 year old woman, last seen out looking for her dog, was found dead in the snow on a path near her home.
British authorities have turned their attention to flood damage as a thaw raised temperatures across the nation. Fire brigades were called out to help thousands of householders deal with burst pipes and flooded rooms.
However there was some good news from the low temperatures. An Italian man whose arm and leg were severed trying to board a moving train could have bled to death if snow had not stemmed the flow of blood.
Mr Amedeo Barzi (51) was dragged along by the train for several metres near the northern city of Piacenza on Saturday and spent the whole night outdoors before being discovered by a railway worker at dawn.
Snow fell in Sardinia, which had so far escaped the worst of the bad weather, and in Venice, the high waters rose another 16 centimetres.
Hamburg Zoo had to confine its lions to their indoor quarters to prevent them walking over a frozen moat to get out of their compound. A fox in Erfurt Zoo had already used the trick to escape and catch a rare cormorant. Frankfurt airport was forced to cancel over 60 flights.
President Clinton declared a major disaster in California and Idaho on Saturday after the western United States reeled from storms and floods that have killed at least 20 people.
The Netherlands on Saturday held a 200km skating marathon, linking 11 medieval cities by canal, for only the 15th time this century.