Snowstorm continues to blanket northern Europe

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Europe

A heavy snowstorm swept northern Europe over the weekend, with the UK, France, Germany and Portugal among the most affected countries.

High winds and snow reportedly caused air traffic disruption and thousands of travelers were stranded at airports.

The harsh weather caused traffic chaos in Germany. /Reuters Photo

Britain is one of the worst-hit countries, still digging out from the biggest snowfall in four years. Flights were suspended at Birmingham, London Stansted and Luton airports. A total of 140 short-haul and 26 long-haul flights were canceled by British Airways, the largest airline in the UK, and over 65,000 travelers were affected.

A Dover-bound ferry carrying more than 300 passengers on Sunday ran aground in Calais due to the harsh weather. About 50,000 homes in France were still facing power outage. The government has now placed an "orange alert" for snow.

/Photo from Twitter

Snow and ice also left travelers stranded in Germany, where sub-zero temperatures forced the cancellation of hundreds of flights at airports including Frankfurt and Düsseldorf. Meanwhile, trains were delayed, redirected and even canceled across western North Rhine-Westphalia state.

In Brussels, the airport issued warnings of delays and cancellations. "If your flight was canceled, please contact your airline before coming to the airport," the airport said in a statement on its website.

Strong winds also lashed northern Portugal. A 45-year-old woman died after winds blew down a tree that landed on her car near the city of Porto, according to local media reports.