On Wednesday, a sudden, extreme cold wave with heavy snowfalls descended on Europe, leading to the death of at least 15 people, the closure of some of the continent's busiest airports, and chaos on the roads and railways.
The United Kingdom was severely affected by a very early thick layer of snow. Two people died in accidents, with one falling into a freezing lake, according to an AFP report.
U.K.'s Gatwick Airport, Edinburgh Airport, and Geneva International Airport, all major hubs, were shut down. Other large airports throughout Europe had to cancel a substantial portion of their flights.
Trains, including the Eurostar, suffered delays and even cancellations. On roadways, many accidents occurred in France, and an estimated 17,200 truck drivers had to abandon journeys.
Because of temperatures as low as minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit in Poland, at least eight homeless people died; their ages ranged from 33 to 72. In Lithuania and in the Czech Republic two and three people respectively were reported to have died of exposure.
In northern Albania, several hundred people had to be evacuated, and a state of natural disaster was declared due to flooding. On the other side of the Adriatic Sea, heavy rains eroded the mortar between the stones in two ancient Roman walls at the archaeological site of Pompeii, causing them to fall.
