Europe hit by snow, cold

Associated Press

LONDON

Blizzards and temperatures below freezing shut down runways, train tracks and highways across Europe on Saturday, disrupting flights and leaving shivering drivers stranded on roadsides.

Airports in Britain, Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Denmark reported cancellations or delays to flights.

London’s Gatwick airport reopened in late afternoon after 150 employees using dozens of plows worked to clear the runway of 4 inches of snow, though officials warned flights would be limited and cancellations likely. Heathrow Airport will remain shut until today after snow and ice forced the closure of runways, according to a statement on its website.

Conditions on British roads were treacherous, Automobile Association official Darron Burness said.

In Italy, the Autostrada of the Sun — the country’s main north-south highway — was jammed with hundreds of vehicles whose chilled occupants slept in their cars, vans or trucks. Early Saturday, the highway was still closed in one direction, with traffic backed up for nearly 25 miles.

Significant numbers of domestic and European flights were canceled at Germany’s Frankfurt airport as it dealt with the disruption. Germany’s railway operator Deutsche Bahn said it was pressing into service all the trains it could — though some journeys were subject to delays.

The icy weather also swept over large parts of Scandinavia, causing problems particularly in Denmark, where dozens of flights were canceled at the airport in Copenhagen.

In Sweden, where media reports suggest the country is experiencing the coldest winter weather this early on in the season since the mid-1800s, several road accidents were reported, with more than 20 in the Stockholm area alone.