Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Chaos on the continent as heavy snow and freezing conditions leave thousands stranded

Airports, schools and roads were closed as Europe was hit hard by the adverse weather.

National Postal Workers Day The UK was battered by snow in recent days Andrew Milligan / PA Images Andrew Milligan / PA Images / PA Images

HIGH WINDS AND heavy snow in Europe yesterday stranded thousands of travellers, kept school children at home and even played havoc with international diplomacy.

It was the second day running of fierce weather across the continent, with Britain still digging out from its deepest snowfall in four years.

The snowed-over runways in Brussels led to about 300 flight cancellations yesterday — with Brussels airport saying the number amounted to half of those scheduled — and some 100 delays, including for the plane carrying Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back home.

Traffic jam due to ice on motorway A40 Traffic jam in Muelheim, Germany Roland Weihrauch DPA / PA Images Roland Weihrauch DPA / PA Images / PA Images

He tweeted a video from his plane that opened with a shot of the white tarmac at the close of his European visit, which was marked by the US recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

A scheduled meeting between Netanyahu and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had to be called off because of the weather, officials said.

Brussels airport officials advised passengers to stay away, as staff were trying to de-ice planes and clear snow from the runways.

BELGIUM-BRUSSELS-WEATHER-SNOW Man cycling in Brussels Xinhua News Agency / PA Images Xinhua News Agency / PA Images / PA Images

“Heavy snowfall: do not come to the airport until further notice,” the airport said on Twitter, adding that passengers should check the status of their flights.

Schiphol airport, just outside Amsterdam, had cancelled more than 400 flights by early afternoon, while many others faced long delays.

Eindhoven airport, the Netherlands’ second biggest, said just after midday that “due to wintry weather conditions, the runway is currently closed”.

But it was not just knee-high snow that was causing trouble, with winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour forecast along France’s Atlantic Coast.

About 50,000 homes were still without power in France yesterday evening as storms that caused a ferry to run aground in Calais on Sunday continued to sweep the centre and west of the country. At the height of the storm some 120,000 households were without electricity.

Winter Weather in Amsterdam A woman pushes her bike in Rembrandt Park in Amsterdam SIPA USA / PA Images SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images

Brutal winds shut down ferry services between the southern Spanish port of Algeciras and Tangiers in Morocco, while also shuttering some schools in southern Spain.

Flights into and out of Nice airport were not expected to restart until early Tuesday at the earliest due to excessive amounts of snow.

Hundreds of schools closed

At the same time, Britain was recovering after heavy snow brought freezing temperatures, prompting the closure of hundreds of schools and disrupting flights for a second day.

Winter weather Dec 11th 2017 Snow on the coast at Whitley Bay, in north-east England Owen Humphreys / PA Images Owen Humphreys / PA Images / PA Images

Power was restored to more than 100,000 homes, while airports tried to recover their schedules following this winter’s first major snowfall – the biggest in four years.

The last time Britain saw this much heavy snow nationwide was in March 2013.

Newspapers were filled with pictures of people either enjoying the snow or stuck in gridlock on the roads.

About 12.5 inches of snow fell in Sennybridge in south Wales on Sunday.

And temperatures overnight dropped to -11.6 degrees in Northumberland, north-east England.

Winter weather Dec 11th 2017 A snow covered hill near Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire Steve Parsons / PA Images Steve Parsons / PA Images / PA Images

The Western Power Distribution network said it had restored power to more than 99,500 customers, while a further 7,000 were still without electricity, largely in west-central England.

But disruptions continued on the roads and at airports.

London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport by passenger numbers, said it was still experiencing problems.

Winter weather Dec 11th 2017 Snowy conditions in Danbury, Essex. Gareth Fuller / PA Images Gareth Fuller / PA Images / PA Images

“Some flights at Heathrow will be disrupted on Monday due to crew and aircraft being out of position following yesterday’s weather,” it said.

We’re working with our airline partners to return aircraft to where they need to be, and full service recovery remains the focus.

Hundreds of schools were closed in western England and north Wales, while much of the country was on a yellow weather warning for snow and ice.

All local authority-run schools in the central city of Birmingham were also shut.

Elsewhere in Europe, a woman in her forties was killed after a tree fell on her car during high winds, and three others were injured.

In Germany, more than 300 flights were cancelled in Frankfurt due to the high levels of snow.

© AFP 2017

Read: Snow and ice warning on the roads with temperatures as low as -4 this morning

Read: Trump makes last-ditch effort to get Roy Moore elected despite molestation accusations

Author
View 31 comments
Close
31 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pat Casey
    Favourite Pat Casey
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 8:10 AM

    A big thank you to the ESB crews out there working in atrocious conditions to get power reconnected around the country.

    594
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ed w
    Favourite ed w
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 2:19 PM

    @Pat Casey: definitely. but powercheck just said my house has gone from the power due back at 12.30pm to 10pm hope they get it on a bit sooner !

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Barty
    Favourite Barty
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 8:20 AM

    Strongest winds out of the three storms goes to Franklin.

    216
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gabriel Holmes
    Favourite Gabriel Holmes
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 8:32 AM

    @Barty: Depends on were you are.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute saoirse janneau
    Favourite saoirse janneau
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 8:34 AM

    @Barty: definitely. Wind from the NW is the new norm.

    30
    See 3 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute ed w
    Favourite ed w
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 11:39 AM

    @Gabriel Holmes: nope, highest recorded mean wind speeds were higher at 107kmh for mace head vs 93kmh roches point for eunice.

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Joe_X
    Favourite Joe_X
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 2:53 PM

    @Barty: definitely but were Met Eireann caught on the hop? We seemed to have a couple days notice Dudley and Eunice, but there seemed to be no mention of Franklin until after it had made landfall! Was it how it did not affect the east coast or what that they took their eyes off the ball!

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Shane Fleming
    Favourite Shane Fleming
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 8:05 PM

    @Barty: Not in Kerry it wasn’t. Friday morning was absolutely horrendous.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Locutus Of Borg
    Favourite Locutus Of Borg
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 1:43 PM

    A big shout out to those poor souls relying on electric heat pumps to heat their homes. It must be freezing with no power

    47
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Darren Byrne
    Favourite Darren Byrne
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 2:56 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: I’d imagine any system that is relying on a pump to push hot water around the radiators in a house is going to have a problem.

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Reuben Gray
    Favourite Reuben Gray
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 3:01 PM

    @Locutus Of Borg: As opposed to a gas boiler which requires no electricity at all and runs on magic?

    21
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Locutus Of Borg
    Favourite Locutus Of Borg
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 3:28 PM

    @Reuben Gray: well I was thinking more along the lines of those who built houses last year or had houses builtl for them and were denied the opportunity to put in a chimney to allow for the use of a stove or open fire so as to at least have a fire to sit around when the inevitable power outages do happen

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Quiet Goer
    Favourite Quiet Goer
    Report
    Feb 21st 2022, 3:15 PM

    Global warming

    3
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds