Winter Weather Not Only in the U.S.

[Originally published December 24, 2009.]

Earlier this week a strong cold front that moved off the Atlantic has been taking temperatures unusually low and making snowfall accumulations unusually high from Milan to Minsk. As many as 100 deaths have been blamed on the cold. In Germany, temps fell to -33C while icy runways and rails cancelled flights and trains across the continent. In Moscow, where frigid temperatures and snowfall are not unusual this time of year, the heaviest snowfall in 100 years (say local meteorologists) brought traffic to a stop – just slightly slower than normal Moscow traffic. Temperatures today are warm enough to allow rain, as opposed to snow in many areas – including Milan.

Earlier this week soldiers shovel snow in Milan. Photograph: Antonio Calanni/AP