A freezing start to 2026 causes surprise and transport paralysis in Europe

A harsh winter is making itself felt not only in Poland. The first days of January brought frost and heavy snowfall also to regions of Europe that were completely unprepared for it. According to meteorologists, difficult conditions in many countries will persist at least until mid-month and potentially even longer.

Five fatalities in France

According to the French radio broadcaster RFI, the severe winter caused a catastrophic deterioration of road conditions across almost the entire country. Five people were killed in accidents, and on Monday evening traffic jams in the Île-de-France region reached a total length of more than 1,000 km. Transport Minister Philippe Tarabot admitted that the national meteorological agency Météo-France had failed by underestimating the seriousness of the situation and issuing warnings too late.

By Tuesday morning, 26 departments in western France were under an orange alert warning of snow and ice. Six airports were closed, and black ice appeared on motorways in the southern part of the country. Data from energy operator Enedis show that more than 13,000 households in the Loire and Charente-Maritime regions were without electricity on Tuesday.

According to Météo-France, snow and freezing rain may be particularly troublesome today in the north of the country. Truck traffic has been suspended on many roads, and trains are running at reduced speeds. Representatives of the French railways SNCF are urging people to limit travel to the absolute minimum.

Winter shock in the Netherlands

On 4 January, the European Earth Observation Programme Copernicus published a satellite image of the city of Utrecht, one of the most important transport hubs in the Netherlands. The entire area was covered by a thick layer of snow, and local media reported traffic paralysis.

Unaccustomed to a white winter, the Netherlands plunged into transport chaos, and at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled. Serious problems were also reported yesterday morning by the railways. In many places switches froze and power failures occurred, and trains did not resume service until after 10.00. A representative of the government organization ProRail, responsible for track maintenance, admitted that the country lacks equipment and technologies that would allow infrastructure to operate in winter conditions.

An exceptionally harsh winter 2025/2026?

Freezing episodes were also recorded in other European countries. In Madrid, the Spanish royal family was surprised by a layer of snow during a military parade, and in Scotland all schools were closed for two days due to frost. Thermometers in the United Kingdom showed as low as -12°C. A tragedy occurred in Sarajevo, where wet snow falling from a tree killed a woman walking beneath it. In the Bosnian capital, as much as 40 cm of snow fell.

Many people are wondering how this harsh winter fits into the scenario of global climate warming. Experts from The Weather Outlook explain that climate change by definition brings high weather instability, and the replacement of the El Niño phenomenon by La Niña significantly increases the likelihood of a cold and snowy winter in Europe.

A forecast published on 12 December last year by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) did indeed predict low temperatures from the British Isles to North Africa at least until 5 January. Experts from the Severe Weather Europe portal add that the observed destabilization of the polar vortex creates the possibility of cold air being trapped over Europe even until the end of January.