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Heavy snow and freezing rain caused major disruption across Europe during the day, particularly in the UK and Germany, where several major airports were forced to ground flights.
With the weather set to remain poor across the UK, there are concerns that many in rural areas, particularly in the north of England, could be cut off. Up to 300 centimeters of snow is expected to fall in areas higher than 40 meters above sea level.
Power went out across Great Britain, and the authorities announced that they were working to restore the network.
Power outages were reported in the English cities of Birmingham, Bristol and Cardiff in Wales.
Many sporting events have already been postponed.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Manchester Airport had to close their runways overnight, but resumed traffic on Sunday.
Traffic on the roads was also burdened by a large amount of precipitation, which affected a large number of people and students returning from Christmas and New Year holidays.
Local authorities closed many roads as a precaution, but stranded vehicles and crashes caused disruption elsewhere.
A number of trains in the UK have been cancelled.
The British Meteorological Service has announced that sleet and snow will move north and that the situation will be most difficult in northern England and southern Scotland. Freezing rain has also been announced. The Environment Agency has also issued eight flood warnings across southern England on the rivers Tav and Avon.
Snow and ice created chaos in Germany as well. Authorities have issued icy warnings for drivers and pedestrians, advising people to stay indoors wherever possible.
Frankfurt Airport canceled 120 of the 1.090 scheduled take-offs and landings today. At the airport in Munich, only one runway was open, while the other was being cleaned.
In Baden-Württemberg, eight people were injured when a bus skidded off the road near the town of Hemingen.
The intercity railway network in the Frankfurt area was also disrupted.
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