Europe shivers under heavy snowfall

Blankets of snow fell across northern Europe today, closing an icy Eiffel Tower in Paris and causing flight cancellations.

Up to four inches was recorded in parts of France, the national weather service said. Most areas, including Paris, got around half that amount.

Traffic alerts were issued in around 30 regions because of icy roads.

The Eiffel Tower, one of Paris’ main tourist attractions, was closed because of slippery conditions.

“We can’t put down salt because it’s metallic,” a spokeswoman said. “We can’t use sand either ... because it risks getting into the elevator (cogs).”

The cold, she said, is no problem, but snow can be dangerous.

A dozen flights were cancelled at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. Bad weather in other parts of Europe contributed to the cancellations.

In Germany, heavy snowfall caused traffic chaos and flight delays and cancellations at the country’s international airports.

Duesseldorf International Airport said no flights were allowed in or out between 6-9 am because clearing crews were unable to keep up with the snow.

More than 30 flights were cancelled because of the bad weather an airport spokesman said. Up to four inches of snow was reported in Duesseldorf and around six inches in Potsdam, just outside Berlin.

Traffic stopped for hours on many of Germany’s autobahns as snowploughs struggled to clear the roads amid heavy post-holiday traffic.