This weekend, extensive disruptions to lighting occurred throughout Europe as severe winter storms impacted travel.
In Scotland, Glasgow Airport suspended all flights on Saturday morning due to heavy snow and plummeting temperatures, reaching a record low of minus 12.5ºC, the coldest since March. Operations have resumed, but a yellow warning for ice remains in effect across northern England, the Midlands, and northern Wales until midday on Monday, issued by Britain’s Met Office.
Dublin Airport in the Republic of Ireland also faced cancellations and delays, while in northern England, Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service worked through Saturday night to assist drivers stranded in deep snow.
Similar challenges were witnessed in Munich, Germany, where over 700 flights were grounded on Saturday due to a snowstorm affecting the south. Disruptions also extended to Austria, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic. Flight cancellations persisted until Sunday morning, with delays exceeding an hour reported in Zurich, London, and Vienna, according to Flightaware.
Concerns about potential avalanches arose in parts of Austria and Switzerland, particularly in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, as up to 50 centimeters of snow fell on Saturday.
Rail travel faced significant interruptions, with trains in and out of Munich’s central station halted, prompting Germany’s national railway operator, Deutsche Bahn, to advise travelers to delay or reroute journeys. Rail traffic is expected to be severely impacted until Monday. Austrian railway company OBB also closed various train lines, and cross-border routes between Austria and Germany were inactive.
The Guardian reported fatalities across Eastern Europe due to heavy snowfall, impacting thousands of towns and villages in Moldova, Ukraine, and Bulgaria. Blizzards left areas without electricity, resulting in four reported deaths in Moldova and ten in Odesa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions in Ukraine over the past week.
