As I sit in my office looking out at the pouring rain, and the 10 degree (absolutely balmy for December) temperatures, I wonder if we are going to be subjected to another mild - boring? - winter season. I suppose that not having to deal with major snow falls in the city is a plus but the ski season certainly suffers.
Then I hear about the weather woes down south as the Americans try to deal with the end of their Thanksgiving long weekend and travel plans affected by heavy snowfall. The great white north sure seems to be getting off light.
However, reading the following article in today's paper has me wondering how the TFP-ers from across the pond are dealing with the weather. What are your stories?
Weather360
Bitter cold kills 8, halts air traffic in Europe
GENEVA—Heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures swept across Europe, killing at least eight homeless people in Poland, closing major airports in Britain and Switzerland, and causing delays to rail and road traffic across the continent.
In addition to Gatwick, one of Britain’s busiest airports, and Geneva, Switzerland’s second biggest one, Edinburgh airport in Scotland and Lyon-Bron airport in southeastern France were shuttered Wednesday as staff struggled to clear the runways of snow.
In Poland, police eight men died Tuesday night after a bitter cold front hit the country, with temperatures falling to around -20 Celsius. Police spokesman Mariusz Sokolowski said the men had all been drinking.
Sokolowski said the men died in different parts of Poland, where many people freeze to death each winter, mostly homeless people and drunks. The coldest temperature registered Tuesday night was in the eastern Polish city of Bialystok, where it was -26 Celsius.
Officials at Gatwick said the airport would remain closed until early Thursday morning, stranding about 600 flights that were expected to depart Wednesday. The airport has added extra staff on the ground working “around the clock” to clear the runways. Passengers were advised not to travel to the airport but to check with their airline or visit Gatwick’s website for updates.
Geneva airport will be closed until at least 2 p.m. local time, said spokesman Bertrand Staempfli.
Zurich, Switzerland’s biggest airport, reported delays and cancellations on the day many VIPs, including former U.S. 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.
Airport spokeswoman Sonja Zoechling said officials anticipate heavy snowfall there from 1 p.m. local time, but expected to keep flights going.
Still, the presence of so many private jets in Zurich on Wednesday means the airport has had to turn down requests for diverted landings, she said.
The European air traffic control authority Eurocontrol also reported severe delays at Berlin’s Tegel airport and in northern Spain.
Eurostar trains through the Channel Tunnel were affected. Operators said six trains to and from London were cancelled and delays of up to 30 minutes on other services were expected.
Swiss weather agency Meteosuisse forecast more snowfall throughout the day as a low-pressure front centred over western Europe moves slowly eastward.
French weather service Meteo France placed nine regions in the northwest and southeast of France on a weather alert warning of snow and ice, in effect until Thursday morning.
SNCF, France’s national railway, said traffic on the main southeast routes has been affected by strong snowfall, but 80 per cent of high-speed trains were running.
Some 60 flights had to be cancelled at Frankfurt airport, Germany’s largest, due to planes that were not able to fly in on Tuesday because of weather problems elsewhere. There were no delays due to the weather on Wednesday, the airport said.
Winter weather caused some 2,000 accidents on German roads on Tuesday, officials said. A new law requiring German drivers to use winter tires took effect Wednesday. Drivers still using summer tires will be fined.
In Poland, police were carrying out patrols to find homeless people and get them into shelters, and appealed to Poles to contact authorities if they saw anyone lying out on benches or the streets. Throughout the country there have also been delays in rail travel.
Poland’s bad weather also was blamed for a collision between a tram and a car that killed one person in Szczecin.
-- The Associated Press