Europe: Heavy snowfall, freezing rain wreak havoc across Europe

BRUSSELS: Extreme weather conditions involving heavy snowfall and freezing rain have affected several countries in Europe, causing flight cancellations and delays and disrupting road traffic. In Belgium, departures from Brussels Airport in Zaventem were temporarily halted at 3:20 p.m. Workers were needed to clear snow from the runway on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Airport officials said most flights were delayed by about an hour and some were cancelled, including flights to Frankfurt and Munich. Heavy snowfall in Brussels has caused traffic jams on the Brussels Ring, especially in the Zaventem area towards Grand-Bigard.

Belgium’s Transport en Commune (TEC) network was also disrupted due to the extreme weather conditions. In Liège and Charleroi, most buses were out of service on Wednesday. Organizers of the Pro League, the top league competition for association football clubs in Belgium, have said that the quarter-finals of the Belgian Cup, featuring Union Saint-Gillois against Anderlecht and Oud-Heverlee Louvain against Antwerp, will be postponed by a week. has been postponed. ,

Fortunately, no major disruptions were reported in Belgium’s railway system, according to Frederic Sacre, spokesman for railway network operator Infrabel.

There was a cold wave in Belgium on Wednesday and the temperature dropped below zero degree Celsius. Forecasters from the Royal Meteorological Institute expect temperatures to drop to minus 10 degrees Celsius or even lower this weekend.

The institute has issued a yellow alert for snowfall and slippery conditions on the roads in many parts of the country. Even in the neighboring country Netherlands, meteorological institute KNMI has issued a yellow code for many parts of the country due to snowy and slippery conditions. Limburg, a province in the south-east of the country, has been hit by heavy snowfall, causing lengthy traffic jams on highways and local authorities issuing an urgent call for motorists to avoid highways.

KNMI said snowfall of up to 15 centimeters was expected to continue in Limburg. On Wednesday morning, the Dutch traffic association ANWB reported 35 traffic jams on 155 km of roads. During the day, trains running on the route between Utrecht and Sittard were halved due to snowy conditions. Dozens of flights were canceled or delayed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.

In Luxembourg, all schools are closed following a red alert for freezing rain and heavy snowfall declared by the national crisis unit on Tuesday. The government has recommended that all residents should stay at home “unless it is absolutely necessary to go out”.

Extreme weather conditions have also affected large parts of Germany, causing widespread disruption to road, air and rail traffic and forcing school closures. Germany’s National Meteorological Service (DWD) has warned of “partially extreme weather conditions” with heavy snowfall in central and southern regions that will continue until Thursday.

More than 600 flights had to be canceled and all air traffic was halted at Frankfurt, the country’s largest airport. Local media reported that take-off in Frankfurt was aborted because the aircraft could no longer be safely removed from the snow, and the fully loaded ramp also made landing impossible.

Some 254 flights are expected to be canceled at Munich Airport in the south of Germany. Rail operations were also restricted, with operator Deutsche Bahn warning of train cancellations and delays on regional and long-distance lines. As a “precautionary measure”, the maximum speed of ICE high-speed trains was reduced to 200 kmph. Snowfall and icy roads have led to accidents and traffic jams on many routes, with several people reported injured.

According to German media reports, the highway had to be completely closed after a truck left the road and hit a crash barrier. In some districts and cities, classes were canceled from lunch time and some schools were closed completely.

Heavy snowfall also wreaked havoc in northern Europe, forcing the main airport in Oslo to be closed on Wednesday afternoon.

The Norwegian Meteorological Institute warned of “very heavy snowfall and strong winds” in eastern coastal areas, including Oslo, and said extreme weather conditions were expected to continue. Norwegian railway operator Ban Nor has announced that all train services in Eastern Norway have been canceled until further notice.

Public transport operator Rutgers reported significant delays and cancellations affecting buses, trams, subways and ferries. Swedish authorities are also on high alert due to the snowstorm that hit much of the country on Wednesday afternoon.

Heavy snowfall in the morning caused a jetliner to go off the taxiway at the airport in Gothenburg and blocked several roads in the south-western region.