Northern Europe was shivering under a blanket of heavy snow and freezing temperatures Wednesday, after a cold weather system disrupted road, rail and air transport across much of the continent.
In Poland, police said eight homeless men died Tuesday night after a bitter cold front roared in, bringing with it temperatures as low as -26 C.
In northern Austria, police said a 69-year-old retiree froze to death overnight when he slipped on a snow-covered bridge on his way home from a funeral and lost consciousness.
Britain was hit by its worst early winter weather in almost two decades, with snow forcing the closure of Edinburgh airport and London's Gatwick airport and causing delays on major roads and railway lines.
Officials at Gatwick, south of London, said the airport would remain closed until early Thursday, stranding about 600 flights that were expected to leave Wednesday. Extra staff were working "around the clock" to clear the runways of five to six inches of snow, which has been deepened by continuous snowfall throughout the day, spokeswoman Andrea Hopkins said Wednesday.
Geneva airport, a major hub for low-cost carrier Easyjet, was closed down Wednesday as workers struggled to clear runways of snow. The city set up shelters overnight for 300 people stranded at the airport and main railway station.
Zurich, Switzerland's largest airport, reported delays and cancellations on the day many VIPs, including former President Bill Clinton and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, were travelling to FIFA's headquarters to push their countries' bids to host the 2018 and 2022 football World Cups.
Leeds airport in northern England, and Chambery and Grenoble in southeastern France also were closed.
In Ireland, flights from Dublin airport were temporarily suspended early Wednesday while thick snow and ice was cleared from a main runway.
Eurocontrol, the central air control agency, reported severe flight delays in Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Paris Orly.
Winter weather caused an estimated 2,000 accidents on German roads Tuesday, officials said.
Even the undersea Channel Tunnel was hit with travel delays due to the snow. Six Eurostar trains to and from London were cancelled and delays on other services were expected.
Swiss weather agency Meteosuisse forecast more snow throughout the day as a low-pressure front centred over western Europe moves slowly eastward.
Forecasters are predicting that snowfall will ease in central Europe by Thursday, but say nights will remain extremely cold across much of the continent.
La Brevine, in northwestern Switzerland, recorded temperatures of -31 degrees C overnight and temperatures in parts of Germany reached a record -18 degrees C.
Nine regions in northwest and southeast France were put on a weather alert, warning of snow and ice until Thursday morning. SNCF, France's national railway, said traffic on the main southeast routes had been affected by heavy snow, but 80 per cent of its high-speed trains were still running.
There was a markedly different picture in southern Europe, where the Mediterranean island of Cyprus is experiencing temperatures in the upper 20s, some five degrees higher than the seasonal average.
Across the Mediterranean, Israelis enjoyed T-shirt weather throughout November, and saw the driest weather in 60 years leading some rabbis to pray for rain.
The water level in the Sea of Galilee, source of much of Israel's fresh water, is a metre below the red line. Forecasters say the dry spell will continue. On Wednesday, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem had blue skies with temperatures in the mid 20s.
In Italy, where heavy rains have caused severe flooding in some areas over recent days, the Civil Protection Authority warned of more heavy downpours.
Northern Italy saw major snowfalls on Wednesday, while in Rome, water levels on the Tiber have risen by 110 cms in a single day following heavy rain. The river is close to overflowing in some areas.
