Many were left drivers stuck in their cars on hazardous, clogged highways.
Finland and Sweden recorded temperatures of -40C earlier this week – the coldest temperatures recorded this winter. Schools were closed, as the extreme chill caused havoc on the roads.
In north Sweden, some 4,000 homes were left in the dark on Thursday, with temperatures plunging to -38C, Swedish public radio reported.
The day before, the mercury dropped to -43.6C – the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in some 25 years.
The municipality of Enontekio in Finnish Lapland, near the border with Norway and Sweden, reported a record temperature of -42.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
The biting cold that hit Scandinavia is part of a storm that has also impacted Western Europe.
Heavy rains have caused floods in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, adding to the ongoing flooding in these regions over the past two weeks.
One death linked to the weather was reported in France and several towns in the north of the country were underwater after several days of rain.
The cold wave from Siberia and the Arctic region has swept down over western Russia, with temperatures in Moscow and other areas plummeting to minus 30C – well below the average temperature for early January.
Officials in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other areas have issued orange weather warnings, cautioning residents against possible health risks.
Mild but wet and windy conditions prevailed further south, where a storm wreaked havoc in parts of western Europe.
In Britain, a driver died after a tree fell on his car in western England.
The storm – which has been named Henk by the official weather services of Britain, Ireland, and the Netherlands – has caused power cuts, transport troubles, property damage, and disruption across the UK.
The country’s rail network was hit by flooding and power cuts, with many operators reporting ongoing issues for the Wednesday morning commute to work.
The strongest gales in the UK were recorded on the Isle of Wight, just off the coast in southern England, where wind speeds reached 151 kilometers per hour.
In the Netherlands, police near the city of Eindhoven said strong winds may have played a role in the death of a 75-year-old man who fell off his bicycle late on Tuesday as high winds lashed much of the country.
Water was flowing into the already swollen river Maas near the city of Maastricht. Owners of several houseboats were being evacuated as a precaution.
In France, heavy rains have pummeled the northern Pas-de-Calais and Nord regions since Sunday, forcing the evacuation of about 200 people and knocking out power to 10,000 households, according to local authorities.
Hundreds of emergency workers from around France mobilized to rescue people from inundated homes and clear roads, and reinforcements of personnel and equipment came from Czechia, Slovakia and the already-drenched Netherlands.
MP/TSN
