Europe freeze hits transport hubs

BBC ^ | 4 February 2012 Last updated at 11:19 ET

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Freezing weather has hit transport hubs across Europe, closing airports, blocking roads and halting trains.

London's Heathrow cancelled 30% of Sunday's flights, and dozens of flights were delayed at Amsterdam's Schiphol.

Transport hubs in Central and Eastern Europe have been forced to close amid the biggest freeze in decades, which has claimed more than 200 lives.

Bosnian officials have declared a state of emergency in Sarajevo, where snow has paralysed the city.

In Serbia, a state of emergency is in place across much of the country.

Thousands of people are said to be trapped in their homes across both countries, and many travellers have been stranded.

"I've been waiting here two days and we don't know what we will do," said Turkish tourist Ducim Tahroglu, waiting at Sarajevo airport.

Ukraine has been hit hardest by the weather, recording more than 100 deaths so far.

[metmom]

Heh. I was wondering who was getting the cold weather.

When the jet stream rises in one area, like ours to give us this mild winter we’ve been having, it dips somewhere else to nail them.

[AlexW]

Since I left Slovakia three years ago, I rarely even wear a
shirt here in the Philippines.

[metmom]

The overuse of road salt here is baffling. It’s triggered solely by temperature - which means salt is spread totally unnecessarily when, as in the last few days here in England, we’ve had sharp frost but dry air and bone-dry roads, without the slightest risk of ice. The ice risk only arrives today, with a warm front coming in from the west with wet snow followed by rain which will then freeze overnight tonight.

Don't kid yourself. Those bone dry looking roads are prime candidates for black ice, which you can see but kills people every year for that very reason.

They are wise to be salting.

[Winniesboy]

That depends on the dewpoint, which is not hard to ascertain.

[J Aguilar]

That what it was during the cold war the free Europe, that is, from a line between Kiel in Germany to Trieste in Italy, towards the West.

Rome, clearly in the South, has gotten the first snow in 26 years (see link).

[metmom]

I know that.

Still, if it happens unexpectedly and someone gets killed on it,you know there will be lawsuits.