Snow and ice ground flights and choke highways in parts of Europe : NPR

SCHIPHOL, Netherlands — More than 1,000 stranded passengers spent the night at Amsterdam International Airport as snow and ice lashed parts of Europe on Wednesday leading to the grounding of hundreds of flights and the closure of highways and railways.

In Paris, a skier glided along the snow-covered banks of the Seine, while roads and parks around the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre were covered in snow, also snarling traffic in parts of France.

There was good news for some Berlin residents during the cold snap: power was being restored to thousands of households in the German capital that had been without power in sub-zero temperatures for four days after a suspected far-left attack on high-voltage lines, authorities said.

At Schiphol Airport on the outskirts of Amsterdam, hundreds of field beds were set up overnight and breakfast was served to weary travelers as staff worked to clear snow from runways and de-ice aircraft. At least 800 flights were canceled at the airport, one of Europe's busiest aviation hubs, on Wednesday.

Sonya Wurmlingel, who tried to return home to Argentina, had to endure repeated disappointments and still did not know how to return. Initially, she was supposed to fly through the German city of Dusseldorf, but the flight was cancelled. Then she was redirected through Paris, but this was also cancelled. The next option was the train to Düsseldorf.

“I came from the train and they told me there was no train,” she said, adding after a long pause: “I don’t know.”

National airline KLM said queues at the airport were decreasing, partly because passengers were warned in time that their flights were cancelled, so they did not head to the airport.

Dutch rail and road networks were also hit hard by fresh snowfall during the morning rush hour and further squalls later in the day.

Rail operator NS urged travelers to “delay travel if possible”. He warned of fewer trains running as problems caused by snow and icy temperatures in the Netherlands hit train services more than expected. According to NS, both domestic and international trains were affected.

Drivers who braved the snowy conditions didn't fare much better, with more than 700 kilometers (435 miles) of traffic jams clogging the country's roads, trucks skidding on highways and slow-moving snow plows clearing roads.

Snow in Paris

France's national weather service, Meteo France, said much of northern and western France, including the Paris region, was on alert for snow and ice. French authorities have advised people to work from home and avoid using cars in snowy regions. Trucks and school buses were banned from the roads. Bus service in Paris was suspended on Wednesday morning.

Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said more than 100 flights at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and about 40 more at Paris Orly airport were canceled on Wednesday.

French rail company SNCF warned passengers of disruptions and delays due to weather conditions, saying that “snow on the tracks forces us to limit train speeds and cancel trains or adjust services.” Eurostar trains between Paris, London and Brussels are also delayed.

Winter Sweden

Even countries more accustomed to severe winter weather reported problems as snow conditions continued across much of Europe.

There was heavy snowfall in western Sweden, and Gothenburg authorities stopped all city trams on Wednesday morning due to bad weather, the SVT broadcaster reported. Snow mounds churned up by passing trams posed a danger to other vehicles.

In Finland, difficulties running diesel buses parked in the cold during the holidays, as well as poor driving conditions, led to bus cancellations and delays in the Helsinki area, Finnish broadcaster Yle reported.