Europe hit by extreme cold, storms and flooding

Europe experienced stark weather contrasts on Wednesday, with extreme cold and snowstorms disrupting transportation and closing schools in Scandinavia. 

Meanwhile, strong winds and heavy rain in western Europe caused flooding and at least one death.

Temperatures fell below minus 40 degrees Celsius in the Nordic region for a second day in a row Wednesday. 

In Swedish Lapland, the mercury dropped to minus 43.6 C, the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years, Sweden’s TT news agency reported.

These were some of the coldest global temparatures on receord so far this winter. 

Residents of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia also felt the biting cold. 

Extremely cold temperatures, snow and gale-force winds disrupted transportation throughout the Nordic region, with several bridges closed and some train and ferry services suspended. Several schools in Scandinavia were closed.

Police across most of Denmark urged motorists to avoid unnecessary trips as wind and snow battered the northern and western parts of the country.

The cold wave from Siberia and the Arctic region has also swept down over western Russia, with temperatures in Moscow and other areas plummeting to minus 30 degrees Celsius – well below the average temperature for early January.

Officials in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other areas have issued orange weather warnings, cautioning residents against possible health risks.

Storms in England

Mild but wet and windy conditions prevailed further south, where a storm wreaked havoc in parts of western Europe.

In Britain, a driver died after a tree fell on his car in western England. Gloucestershire Police said the man died in the incident near the town of Kemble on Tuesday afternoon.

The storm, which has been named Henk by the official weather services of Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands, has caused power cuts, transport troubles, property damage and disruption across the UK.

More than 300 flood warnings were in place across England and Wales on Wednesday, while 10,000 homes remained without power. 

The UK’s rail network was hit by flooding and power cuts, with many operators reporting ongoing issues for the Wednesday morning commute into work.

The strongest gales in the UK were recorded on the Isle of Wight, just off the coast in southern England, where wind speeds reached 151 kilometers per hour.

In the Netherlands, police near the city of Eindhoven said strong winds may have played a role in the death of a 75-year-old man who fell off his bicycle late Tuesday as high winds lashed much of the country. 

Water was flowing into the already swollen river Maas near the city of Maastricht. Owners of a number of houseboats were being evacuated as a precaution.

In France, heavy rains have pummeled the northern Pas-de-Calais and Nord regions since Sunday, forcing the evacuation of about 200 people and knocking out power to 10,000 households, according to local authorities.

Hundreds of emergency workers from around France mobilised to rescue people from inundated homes and clear roads, and reinforcements of personnel and equipment came from Czechia, Slovakia, and the already-drenched Netherlands.

The national weather service maintained flood and wind warnings Thursday for several regions across northern France and its borders with Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, with more rains forecast along with winds up to 100 kph.

Parts of Germany were also grappling with flooding, which could be aggravated by more rain falling in the worst-affected northwestern state of Lower Saxony.