BERLIN (AP) – The Latest on frigid weather in Europe (all times local):
2:55 p.m.
Heavy snow in parts of Britain is causing disruptions to road, rail and air travel and has forced hundreds of schools across the country to close.
Stationary traffic stands on the M20 near Ashford, Kent, southeast England following overnight snowfall which has caused disruption across Britain. Tuesday Feb. 27, 2018. Roads across Britain have already seen a good covering snow, with police forces reporting treacherous driving conditions and blocked routes. (Gareth Fuller/PA via AP)
Snow and ice warnings were in place Tuesday in eastern Britain. Met Office forecasters said some rural communities could be completely cut off with power cuts and weakened mobile phone signals.
Major train companies reported cancellations and disrupted service. The affected networks include Greater Anglia, the London Overground, South Western Railway and others.
British Airways cancelled a number of short-haul flights while trying to preserve its long-haul schedule to and from London Heathrow Airport.
Strong snow is expected Wednesday in northeast England and Scotland as the intense wintry weather continues.
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2:30 p.m.
Blizzards are battering Romania and leaving scores of roads blocked by snowdrifts. At least three deaths have been reported.
Officials closed dozens of roads in south and east Romania on Tuesday after heavy snowfall overnight. Some drivers were stranded all night by the snow.
Officials said a 65-year-old man was found frozen to death outside his home in northern Romania and an 83-year-old woman collapsed on the street unconscious and was covered in snow. She died later in the hospital.
Health officials said a 74-year-old woman was found unconscious in a dilapidated house in the eastern city of Galati and later died of hypothermia. It was the sixth cold-related death in the city this year.
Bucharest Mayor Gabriela Firea said schools would remain closed in the capital until the end of the week.
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1:30 p.m.
A Danish newspaper report says that an army personnel carrier with caterpillar tracks has been sent out on the roads of Denmark’s Baltic Sea island of Bornholm, north of Germany, for the first time in five years.
The vehicle, which can drive through deep snow, will transport police and ambulance personnel to locations if needed, according to the local Bornholms Tidende paper.
A second vehicle with the same system is being readied on Bornholm where there has been heavy snowfall and temperatures dipping to below -5 C (23 F).
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1 p.m.
Dutch authorities have banned boats from some of Amsterdam’s iconic canals in a move aimed at helping them freeze over so that residents can lace up their skates and glide over the frozen waterways.
Freezing temperatures gripping much of Europe are also hitting the Dutch capital, where people were last able to skate on the canals in 2012.
As well as banning boats, the local water authority said Tuesday it is closing sluices and locks to help ice growth by slowing the movement of water.
While there is not enough ice yet and the weather forecast suggests rising temperatures after the weekend, Alderman Udo Kock says, “we are doing everything we can to allow residents and visitors to hopefully be able to skate on the canals.”
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12:45 p.m.
Poland’s police say that five people died from the cold overnight, when temperatures dropped in some areas to -22 C (-7.6 F.)
That brought the number of deaths from hypothermia to 58 this winter, according to national police statistics. Such deaths usually occur among homeless people or drunk people who stay outside during the night.
Authorities in some cities and towns, especially in the east where temperatures are lowest, will be placing coal heaters in the streets to help people keep warm.
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12:35 p.m.
Some migrants in the French capital have been exposed to the Siberian cold front that has engulfed Paris and large swathes of France with little more than tents and sleeping bags.
In the makeshift camp set up along the banks of a canal that runs through northeast Paris, a group of largely Afghan migrants lit a small fire on Tuesday morning to warm up their hands after a sleepless night that saw temperatures drop below -5 C (23 F).
Saraj, a 27-year-old migrant from Afghanistan who arrived in Paris three weeks ago, told The Associated Press he hadn’t managed to get any rest the night before.
Temperatures are set to rise later this week but Saraj’s group will probably have to put up with some heavy rain.
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10:20 a.m.
Germany has suffered one of its coldest nights, with the mercury dropping below minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) in large parts of the country.
The German meteorological office said Tuesday it recorded a temperature of minus 30.4 C atop the country’s highest peak, the Zugspitze, overnight.
Much of Europe is currently experiencing low temperatures due to a blast of icy air from the northeast.
The German chancellery says it has canceled a display of military honors planned Wednesday in Berlin for the arrival of Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, “due to the weather.”
A snow plough clears the street from snow in Luebeck, northern Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Snow and freezing sub-zero temperatures have a grasp on some parts of Germany as meteorologists reported a new cold record of minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16.6 Fahrenheit) for this winter on Zugspitze mountain in the Alps. (Jens Buettner/dpa via AP)
Vehicles crawl along a road as snow falls in south east England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The so-called “Beast from the East” snow storm arrived in the Britain Monday and is predicted to continue for the next few days as it chills most of Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
A man walks his dog down a snow covered lane near Malton in northern England, as heavy snowfall is affecting roads across the Britain on Tuesday morning after several centimetres fell in some parts overnight. Tuesday Feb. 27, 2018. Police forces have reported “tricky” driving conditions, with forecasters expecting the wintry weather to continue for the next few days. (John Giles/PA via AP)
Icicles photographed in the Baltic Sea harbor of Warnemuende, near Rostock, eastern Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Snow and freezing sub-zero temperatures have a grasp on some parts of Germany as meteorologists reported a new cold record of minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16.6 Fahrenheit) for this winter on Zugspitze mountain in the Alps. (Bernd Wuestneck/dpa via AP)
Snow covers the streets near the harbor in Hamburg, Germany, Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. Snow and freezing sub-zero temperatures have a grasp on some parts of Germany as meteorologists reported a new cold record of minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16.6 Fahrenheit) for this winter on Zugspitze mountain in the Alps. (Axel Heimken/dpa via AP)
Ice covers the frozen shore of Oder river at the German-Polish border near Frankfurt an der Oder Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP)
This image taken from aerial footage provided by the Italian Police on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 shows Rome’s rooftops by Piazza del Popolo Square, center, dusted in snow, shortly after Monday’s snowstorm over the city. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday to their lowest level this winter and even brought a rare snowstorm to Rome, paralyzing the city and giving its residents the chance to ski, sled and build snowmen in its famous parks and piazzas. (Italian Police via AP)
The ancient ruins of Pompeii are dusted in snow after a snowfall, near Naples, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday and Tuesday to their lowest level this winter, and even brought a rare a snowstorm to Rome on Monday, and is spreading to other parts of Italy. (Cesare Abbate/ANSA via AP)
Icicles have formed on the Naiadi Fountain, in central Rome, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018, a day after an Arctic storm hit much of Europe. Freezing temperatures continued overnight after a snowstorm Monday paralyzed the eternal city, causing schools to remain closed for a second day due to ice that had formed on streets and cobblestone sidewalks. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)
Seagulls fly over the Lake Vierwaldstaettersee in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)
In this picture taken with a drone a historical windmill stands in the snow-covered landscape near Stove. north-eastern Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 27. 2018. (Jens Buettner/dpa via AP)
Persons enjoy skating on the frozen Lake of Moritzburg Castle, eastern Germany, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Sebastian Kahnert/dpa via AP)
This image taken from aerial footage provided by the Italian Police on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018 shows Rome’s rooftops, including the Pantheon, center, dusted in snow, shortly after Monday’s snowstorm over the city. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday to their lowest level this winter and even brought a rare snowstorm to Rome, paralyzing the city and giving its residents the chance to ski, sled and build snowmen in its famous parks and piazzas. (Italian Police via AP)
The ancient ruins of Pompeii are dusted in snow after a snowfall, near Naples, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday and Tuesday to their lowest level this winter, and even brought a rare a snowstorm to Rome on Monday, and is spreading to other parts of Italy. (Cesare Abbate/ANSA via AP)
Seagulls fly over the Lake Vierwaldstaettersee in Lucerne, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Urs Flueeler/Keystone via AP)
The ancient ruins of Pompeii are dusted in snow after a snowfall, near Naples, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday and Tuesday to their lowest level this winter, and even brought a rare a snowstorm to Rome on Monday, and is spreading to other parts of Italy. (Cesare Abbate/ANSA via AP)
A car makes its was in a snowstorm near Poloskefo, 211 kms southwest of Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. (Gyorgy Varga/MTI via AP)
People skate at a skating rink in Red Square, with St. Basil’s Cathedral, left, and Kremlin’s Spasskaya Tower, center, in background, in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. Temperatures dipped to -16 C (3,2 F) in Moscow and -24 C (-11 F) at night. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
Icicles on the shore of the Vierwaldstaettersee in Stansstadt, Switzerland, photographed on Feb. 27, 2018. (Urs Flueeler)/Keystone via AP)
Stray cats eat during a snowfall by the Castel Dell’Ovo castle, in Naples, southern Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The Arctic storm dubbed the “Beast from the East” saw temperatures across much of Europe fall Monday and Tuesday to their lowest level this winter, and even brought a rare a snowstorm to Rome on Monday, and is spreading southwards to other parts of Italy. (Ciro Fusco/ANSA via AP)
A truck moves away in a snow-storm near the border station of Letenye, on the Hungarian-Croatian border, 228 kms southwest of Budapest, Hungary, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The Croatian authorities have prohibited trucks from entering Croatia from Hungary due to the unusually heavy snowfall. (Gyorgy Varga/MTI via AP)
A woman walks the main road in the village of Klemensker on the Danish island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea, as snow and heavy wind hit Denmark from the East, Tuesday Feb. 27, 2018. Much of Europe is currently experiencing low temperatures due to a blast of icy air from the northeast. (Pelle Rink/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Snow stands by parked trains at Ashford International in southeast England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The so-called “Beast from the East” snow storm arrived in the Britain Monday and will continue on for the next few days as it chills most of Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Vehicles crawl along a road as snow falls in southeast England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The so-called “Beast from the East” snow storm arrived in the Britain Monday and will continue on for the next few days as it chills most of Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Trees stand after snow covered the landscape in southeast England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The so-called “Beast from the East” snow storm arrived in the Britain Monday and will continue on for the next few days as it chills most of Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Vehicles crawl along a road behind a house as snow falls in southeast England, as seen through the window of a train travelling from London to Canterbury, England, Tuesday, Feb. 27, 2018. The so-called “Beast from the East” snow storm arrived in the Britain Monday and will continue on for the next few days as it chills most of Europe. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
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