The big freeze continues. by Louise Lear
It was a cold and frosty start for many across the British Isles this morning. Overnight temperatures had fallen below freezing but more significant was the strength of the wind. A strong northerly produced a penetrating wind chill for early morning risers.
This arctic blast has affected much of the UK for nearly two weeks now and there’s little sign of any significant change. However, it’s not just the UK, much of Europe has experienced extreme winter conditions. Snow and ice have caused disruption to transport links and record low temperatures were recorded yesterday. In Switzerland, temperatures in a region called the Swiss Siberia close to the borders with France sank to minus 34.4C, just short of the record for the area. In Austria, electricity consumption hit the highest point since the beginning of the year and oil suppliers said they were running out of stock.
Ice 14 centimetres thick hampered shipping on the canal linking Berlin with the Polish port Szcecin, and snow fell thickly on the German capital. Further north, the arctic easterly flow coupled with clear skies brought a severe frost to Oslo, in Norway. Temperatures fell as low as -21C overnight Tuesday into Wednesday and then their day time high climbed to a mere -11C. Normally their average for March is 4C.
It’s good news for skiers embarking on a late winter holiday. Many of the ski resorts are expected to have plenty of fresh snow over the next couple of days with resorts in Bulgaria enjoying their highest snow fall for twenty years.
You can check the skiing forecast on our snow sports page www.bbc.co.uk/weather/sports/snowsports/snownews
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