RECORD COLD INVADES MOSCOW
As reported by themoscowtimes.com, western Russia has been hit by bitter cold this week, and has joined central and eastern regions which have been battered by brutal Arctic lows of -58.3C (-73F) and beyond for months now.
Moscow is suffering its coldest weather of the past decade, according to the MT article, with Muscovites suffering lows of -20C (-4F):
Moscow was almost -20C today. So cold the water in my drink bottle froze when I was walking pic.twitter.com/8ZrJLKOiw4
— Mark Bennett (@MarkBennett07) February 9, 2021
Looking ahead, Moscow's big freeze freeze is only expected to intensify.
The GFS (shown below) has the majority of Europe under a polar air mass Monday, Feb. 15, with the freeze expected to persist until at least March.
Western Russia, Poland, Ukraine, and Germany can expect the worst of Europe's cold, with temps here tanking 24C below the winter average (Moscow is located top-right on the map):
EIFFEL TOWER REQUIRES BLOWTORCH
Heavy snow has blanketed the French capital, and bone-chilling lows have froze the Eiffel Tower.
Workers at the Tower used a blowtorch to melt the ice collecting on its surfaces and snow was blocking roads and halting trains and school buses Wednesday across northern France, reports thenewstribune.com (AP).
🇬🇧 When negative temperatures return, my floors got partially covered with ice! 🥶 To get rid of it, we need to use a blowtorch because ice-control salt is too corrosive for the metal.#EiffelTower pic.twitter.com/nkdgLVaUHf
— La tour Eiffel (@LaTourEiffel) February 9, 2021
Areas in Normandy and Brittany aren't accustomed to such icy conditions, and forced to closing highways for lack of snow-clearing equipment.
In parts of the Paris region, the big freeze forced local authorities halted school buses and urged parents to keep their children at home.
Much of Europe, including Britain, has been gripped by brutal polar fronts since the weekend - a lot longer in many cases - and heavy snowfall is responsible for tangling traffic and stranded drivers in Germany and the Czech Republic.
AUTOBAHN CHAOS IN GERMANY AS HISTORIC SNOW CONTINUES
Long jams have built up on Germany's motorways as the nation's record-breaking snowfall persists, leaving hundreds of people stranded in their cars.
Shivering drivers have been found huddled in their vehicles, complaining of going 16+ hours without food as temperatures plunged below -12C (10F).
The bottleneck, which was caused by trucks stuck in the snow and stretching over 43.5 miles (70 km), had still not been cleared, local police said.
According to shine.cn, severe jams were also reported in Hesse, with drivers there trapped for approximately 15 hours.
"The whole situation is tough, we are trying to work on a solution," a police spokesman said on Tuesday morning, as reported by thelocal.de.
In Bielefeld, a man was found dead on a snow-covered road on Monday, though the exact cause of death remains uncertain.
Many train services have seen cancellations, with snow and ice clogging the rails.
Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer appealed to people in northern and central Germany to stay at home with temps falling to -27C (-17F) in some parts.
"In such extreme conditions, even the best gritting vehicles will reach their limits," said Scheuer. "We are working on all fronts to ensure that we get the north-south roads free — so that we can at least drive with restrictions," he added.
A new Arctic front is now forming.
"[It's] a small one, but it's very fierce," said Scheuer.
"On Wednesday we will get a lot of snow on the Baltic Sea and near Rügen, along with stormy conditions."
SUMMER CHILLS BLAMED FOR MASS BIRD DEATHS IN AUSTRALIA
As reported by abc.net.au, an unseasonable summer chill has gripped much of southern Western Australia (WA) this week.
The cold proved so severe that conservationists have blamed it for the widespread deaths of a small native bird in WA's South West.
Parks and Wildlife conservation officer Ben Lullfitz said after the cold weather people had found dead tree martin birds from Augusta to Bunbury.
Mr Lullfitz added that the birds were unable to feed or regulate their body temperature during the cold conditions.
"We don't know how many exactly have died but it's been a widespread event," he said.
(Read more here)
Comment: Hundreds of drivers spend night on Autobahn as Germany's snow chaos continues
Cold weather blamed for mass deaths of tree martin birds in Western Australia