Heavy snow freezes Europe, disrupts transportation

Paris was blanketed under heavy snow yesterday which forced the closure of the Eiffel Tower and briefly shut its main airport. In Scotland, sub-zero temperatures turned roads into deadly ice sheets even as Spain and Portugal cleared up following flooding and tornado-like winds.

Road, rail and air travelers had to face fresh disruption following last week's transport shutdown with Charles de Gaulle-Roissy airports closing down for an hour-and-a-half and the mercury sinking as low as minus 18.3 degrees Celsius (minus 1 degree Farehneit) at Tyndrum in the Scottish highlands.

The high winds blew off cars, uprooted trees, tore off roofs and knocked down electricity poles, leaving around 30 people injured even as a second body was recovered in Spain yesterday following heavy flooding.

According to France's meteorological service France Meteo around 11 centimetres (four inches) of snow fell in central Paris, the heaviest snowfall since 1987.

Around 100 flights could not take off or land at Roissy airport during the temporary closure even as workers cleared the runways of the heavy snow that began falling around midday, according to airport officials.

Thousands of passengers were stranded at the airport late yesterday as the approach roads to Roissy were blocked according to Air France.