Winter Chaos: Europe Grapples with Snow and Ice Disruptions

Europe faced significant disruption due to heavy snow and freezing rain, affecting airports in the UK and Germany. Airports closed runways, and power outages were reported, causing travel chaos during the holiday return. The Met Office forecast continued adverse weather, with potential flooding in southern England and black ice warnings in Germany.

Europe was plunged into travel chaos on Sunday as heavy snow and freezing rain wreaked havoc across the region, notably impacting the UK and Germany, where major airports suspended operations.

British rural areas, particularly in the north of England, faced isolation as snow piled up, disrupting power and telecommunications. The National Grid reported multiple outages while major sporting events were postponed. Liverpool and Manchester airports temporarily closed, though were set to reopen, whereas Leeds Bradford Airport declared its runway shut.

In Germany, challenging road conditions saw black ice warnings issued, and hundreds of flights were cancelled at Frankfurt and Munich airports. Meanwhile, rail disruptions persisted, further complicating travel in and around Frankfurt.

(With inputs from agencies.)