Europe is in a deep freeze this week as dozens of flights, ferry services, and auto traffic have been disrupted by freezing and snowy conditions at destinations like Greece, Italy and Turkey. Officials in Poland, where temperatures have dropped to minus 20C, say the cold weather has killed at least 10 people in the past few days. In Moscow, a city used to bitter cold, residents are staying inside as temperatures approach record lows.
Pegasis Airlines, Turkey’s low-cost carrier was forced to cancel any number of its flights, and airports from Sicily to Bari closed over the weekend on account of adverse weather conditions. More than 20 people reportedly died across Europe as temperatures plummeted to more than 15C below zero as far south as northern Greece. Night temperatures in Russia plunged below minus 30C, the coldest temperatures registered there in 100 years. From Prague to Rome forecasts promise little relief as of Tuesday morning.
Heavy snowstorms gripped Istanbul, where a total of 802 flights were canceled at Atatürk and Sabiha Gökçen Airports. In Italy over the weekend strong winds and snow covered much of the country. The temperature in Naples dropped to a record low of minus 13 degrees Celsius, and in Vatican City, rigid temperatures turned the fountains at St. Peter’s Square to ice on Saturday (January 7). In Romania an orange alert has been issued, and the capital Bucharest may see nighttime temperatures stay between -29 degrees Celsius and -15 degrees Celsius.