A severe Arctic storm has unleashed travel chaos across Europe, causing major disruption for British tourists and residents alike. The freezing conditions have led to hundreds of cancelled flights, unprecedented traffic gridlock, and severe flooding in popular holiday destinations.
Northern Europe Paralyzed by Snow and Ice
The start of the week saw much of Northern Europe blanketed in snow, crippling transport networks. At Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, approximately 700 flights were cancelled yesterday, representing more than half of all scheduled departures and arrivals. Airport authorities directly attributed the widespread cancellations to the dangerous wintery conditions.
In France, the national meteorological service, Meteo France, issued an orange alert for snow and ice across much of the northwest, including Paris. Consequently, Charles de Gaulle and Orly airports were forced to reduce their flight schedules by 15 per cent. The disruption extended far beyond the airports, however.
Motorists in the French capital endured a record-breaking traffic jam stretching 1,000 kilometres. This colossal gridlock, which followed speed restrictions of 80km/h ordered by French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot, dwarfed the region's usual peak congestion of around 300km.
Rail Chaos and Southern Deluges
Passengers hoping to travel by train faced similar misery. Eurostar services were heavily impacted, with six trains between London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord cancelled yesterday. Most other services suffered significant delays, and this morning, services to Paris were delayed while trains to Brussels and Amsterdam were cancelled entirely.
While the north battled snow, southern Spain was hit by a brutal deluge from Storm Francis. Up to 200mm of rain fell on the Costa del Sol, prompting authorities to issue a red alert for an 'extraordinary flood risk'. The intense rainfall turned streets into rivers and flooded apartment blocks.
The consequences were severe:
- In Malaga, at least 12 families had to be evacuated from their flooded flats.
- Dramatic footage from Estepona showed a car being swept away by powerful waves.
- Approximately 470 homes were evacuated in the Cadiz area as the storm tore through the region.
A Tentative Calm Ahead
There is some hope for improvement as the week progresses. Meteo France has downgraded its orange snow alert for much of the country to a yellow warning, urging residents to remain vigilant. Interestingly, the rainy weather in Spain is forecast to be replaced by snow, with around 5cm predicted to fall across large sections of the country.
This latest bout of extreme weather serves as a stark reminder of the widespread disruption that such events can cause to European travel infrastructure, leaving thousands of passengers stranded and residents dealing with dangerous conditions.
