© EPAThe tower was shut as salt cannot be used as it would damage the iron structure
In Scotland sub-zero temperatures turned roads into deadly ice sheets.
In Spain and Portugal, cleaning-up has begun after floods and high winds. In Portugal, high winds blew away cars, uprooted trees, tore off roofs and knocked over power poles, leaving about 30 people injured. In Spain, a second body was recovered yesterday following flooding.
France's meteorological service said 11cm of snow fell in central Paris, the heaviest snowfall since 1987. About 100 flights were prevented from taking off or landing at Roissy airport during a temporary closure while workers cleared the runways.
Thousands of passengers were stranded at the airport yesterday as the approach roads to Roissy were blocked. Runways at Paris's second airport, Orly, were also shut for snow to be cleared.
The snowfalls left all motorways in the Paris region impassable. Truck drivers were ordered to pull off the highways and wait until conditions improved.
The operators of the Eiffel Tower at first shut only the first floor of the giant monument. "But since late morning the Eiffel Tower has been completely closed and will certainly not reopen today," a spokesman said.
In Scotland, road and rail travel was disrupted and temperatures were expected to stay well below freezing until today, after yesterday's low of -18.3C, leaving thick sheets of ice and compacted snow on roads and pavements.
Edinburgh council was in discussions with the Scottish government and the army about bringing in soldiers to help clear snow from the city's streets.
Up to 76cm of snow has fallen in parts of the capital and the temperature has dropped to -14.6C.
Police in Spain recovered the body of a nine-year-old boy who went missing after the car he was travelling in was swept away by floodwaters.
His death was the second from the storms that have battered southern Spain and Portugal since Saturday.
Police in Poland said 68 people had frozen to death since last month, including 53 so far this month.
Source: AFP, AP
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