Heavy snowfall across Spain by Rob McElwee
Large parts of the Spanish Interior were hit by heavy snow through Friday and Saturday morning, with Madrid being badly affected.
Between 6 and 10cm (2 and 4 inches) of snow have fallen in parts of the capital causing disruption on roads and affecting rail transportation. One of Europe’s busiest airports, Madrid Barajas, was forced to close during Saturday morning due to the heavy snowfall and poor visibility. Central Spain will continue to see sub zero temperatures with the risk of further snowfall through Saturday.
Meanwhile, across the border in France, more than 1000 homes still remain without electricity after heavy snow caused white-out conditions in the Marseille region.
Large parts of southern Germany have recorded temperatures below -30 Celsius (-22F). Several rivers in the north of Germany froze over including parts of the River Elbe, blocking ship traffic.
Much of Europe continues to be plagued by arctic conditions as high pressure remains firmly in control - trapping in stagnant bitterly cold air. However, relief from the cold is on its way across much of the continent as milder air begins to blow in from the Atlantic next week.
