In Poland nearly 50 people, mostly homeless, have frozen to death in December as temperatures dropped as low as -18C, according to local TV. Police said 15 people died on Saturday.
Ukraine reported 27 deaths and six people were killed in Germany where temperatures of -33C have been recorded. Dusseldorf international airport was closed. Airports in the Netherlands and Belgium were also affected.
Forty per cent of flights have been cancelled from Paris, while snow covered the beach in Nice. Minimum temperatures reached -23C in some parts.
In Spain runways were closed at Madrid’s Barajas airport after temperatures fell to -8C and high-speed AVE trains were suspended between the capital and Barcelona, Malaga and Seville.
More than 220 villages and towns in Bulgaria were left without electricity, and toppled trees cut power in several mountainous suburbs in the capital Sofia.
An overflowing dam in the town of Zlatograd, also in Bulgaria, flooded the basements of several apartment buildings, the town’s mayor told news agency Focus.
Some 50 passengers were injured yesterday in Croatia when a brake failed in temperatures of -17C on a train, causing an accident at the main station in Zagreb, police said. One person was critically injured.
In Moscow, where temperatures fell to -26C last week, relatively warmer temperatures of -13C brought heavy snow falls in the Russian capital, blanketing Red Square and the Kremlin. Up to 9,000 snow ploughs were said to have been sent out to clear the streets.
In Britain, the travel chaos caused by icy weather looks set to continue with further disruption to roads, rail services and flights.
Anger has already been sparked by widespread delays including problems with air travel as Gatwick Airport’s runway was shut and Luton suspended flights.
British Airways cancelled all European and UK domestic flights leaving Heathrow after 7pm last night, and said services from London City and Gatwick were “significantly disrupted”.
Budget airline easyJet warned customers that further snow could result in continued flight disruptions.
And the Southeastern train company said that the bad weather meant it would be operating limited service today.
Rail passengers in Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, Wales and Lancashire had already been hit, being forced to use replacement bus services yesterday because of the weather.
The icy conditions look set to stay, although there will be less snow in the next few days.
Warnings for “widespread icy roads” have been issued by the Met Office for most of England.
Paul Mott, from Meteogroup, last night forecast that counties to the north and west of London will be worst hit by snow, while northern England and Scotland will see temperatures as low as -8C in rural areas. There will be less snow today, he said, but plummeting temperatures mean the continuing risk of ice.
A spokesman for easyJet said: “Passengers are advised, they must check the ‘Flight Disruption’ section on www.easyJet.com to ensure their flight is not cancelled before going to the airport.” – (Guardian service and PA)