Frozen Europe grinds to a halt: Chaos in Germany as -20C blizzards halt trains, planes and site visitors whereas 135mph Storm Goretti triggers mass blackouts hit in France

Frozen Europe has grinded to a halt as Storm Goretti continues to wreak havoc, with -20C blizzards disrupting trains, planes and causing enormous traffic jams in Germany. 

Northwestern France has been hit by strong winds of 135mph as the country copes with mass blackouts, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. 

Red snow warnings have been issued for the north of Germany around Hamburg, with up to 15 centimetres of snow expected.

The country’s national meteorological service, the DWD, warned of the potential for black ice build-up, particularly in the west and south of the country. 

Long-distance trains were halted in the north on Friday and services were also affected in other parts of Germany as winter storms sweep across Europe, the rail operator said.

‘Long-distance rail travel in northern Germany is no longer possible,’ said Deutsche Bahn in a statement, adding that services from Berlin to Hamburg, and to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia state were also impacted.

More than 14,000 employees have been mobilised to clear snow from tracks and platforms. 

Temperatures this weekend could plunge to as low as -20C in certain areas, DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP.

Some regions have announced schools will shut on Friday, including in the cities of Hamburg and Bremen.

At least eight people have died in weather-related accidents this week across Europe, the latest being a man whose body was recovered from floodwater in the Albanian city of Durres on Thursday following days of heavy snowfall and torrential rain across the Balkans. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrat Union (CDU) cancelled its first significant party meeting of the year due to severe weather brought by the storm, called Storm Elli in Germany. 

‘Due to the severe weather warnings and the associated dangers, as well as the announced train and flight cancellations, we unfortunately feel compelled to cancel our annual kick-off meeting this coming Friday and Saturday,’ the CDU spokeswoman said. 

Sections of Berlin’s River Spree froze on Thursday, as snow encased the German capital.

Excluding the mountainous areas in Bavaria, Berlin is notorious for regularly enduring some of the harshest winters anywhere in the country.

In a statement on Thursday, the DWD said: ‘Fresh snowfalls in the evening and the night into Friday arriving from the southwest, progressing northeast rapidly and later transitioning into rain in the west and south.

‘New snowfalls of between three and 10 centimetres from the northwest via the central regions and through to Bavaria [in the south], and up to 15 centimeters within nine to 12 hours in flashpoint.’

Ferry services on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony have largely come to a halt, while several islands are currently inaccessible by ship, including Langeoog, Spiekeroog, Norderney and Wangerooge. 

Heavy snowfall shut down the major Köhlbrandbridge in Hamburg, with the DWD warning of snowdrifts, ice and storm-force gusts in exposed regions.

Road authorities have recorded a growing number of weather-related accidents, particularly in areas that have seen freezing rain and black ice, while lines of trucks were photographed stuck in traffic on the A5 highway near Breitenbach.

Forecasters expect snow to blanket the entire country by Saturday, with another wave delivering up to 25 centimetres from North Rhine-Westphalia to Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

DWD meteorologist Andreas Walter told AFP the storm was exceptional in the context of the last few years of milder winters, which were a ‘consequence of climate change’.

‘It’s still possible to have a cold month with snow, even as temperatures rise due to climate change, but such events will become rarer in the future,’ he said.

In France, Storm Goretti cut power to some 380,000 homes, most of them in the northern Normandy region, the Enedis power provider said, while Britain’s National Grid said 42,000 homes lost electricity in southwest England and thousands more elsewhere.

Overnight, gusts of up to 134 mph were registered in France’s northwestern Manche region, authorities said.

The winds felled trees in several regions, with at least one crashing on residential buildings in France’s Seine-Maritime region, without injuries, authorities said.

Schools remained shut in parts of northern France, where weather alerts have been issued in 30 other regions.

‘Take shelter and do not use your vehicle,’ the Manche police warned on X on Thursday, urging residents to prepare emergency supplies.

Giant waves crashed over harbour walls across France’s far northwest overnight, and as the storm moved eastwards it brought flooding and forced the closure of roads and ports including Dieppe.

In Normandy, almost all rail lines will remain closed all day and will not be able to reopen until tomorrow morning.

‘The Goretti storm violently struck Normandy in the night from Thursday to Friday, causing numerous damages to the Norman railway network,’ said a spokesperson from the SNCF Nomad Train network.

‘The infrastructure manager is not in a position to restore access to the majority of the network before Saturday.’

Ferry operator DFDS said all its sailings between Dover and France are disrupted.

‘All services are currently operating with delays due to strong winds in the Channel,’ it said.

‘Please check-in as normal, we will transfer all passengers on to the first available sailing on arrival.’

In Poland, the Mayor of Warsaw called an emergency meeting with the capital’s crisis management team as the country braces for temperatures as low as -30C, TVP World said.

Sweden’s weather service, SMHI, also issued red and orange alerts across the nation as heavy snowfall and strong winds are forecast. 

In Scotland, hundreds of schools remained shut for the fifth day, with many pupils not yet returning to the classroom after their Christmas holidays.

Transport in Russia was also hit by wintry weather, with some 300 flights in the Moscow region cancelled as workers battled to clear runways and de-ice planes.