Snow disrupts travel in the UK as cold snap grips northern Europe

Freezing weather in northern Europe is causing severe travel disruption in some countries including the UK, with several London airports forced to close their runways and cancel many flights on Sunday night and into Monday morning. At Heathrow, the capital's largest airport, departure boards showed several flights cancelled to European destinations on Monday morning, the day after more than 50 flights were cancelled due to fog.

Stansted airport, north of London, tweeted on Monday morning that it "remains fully open and operational", having said on Sunday night that its runway was "temporarily closed whilst we undertake snow clearing". A yellow weather warning remains in place for southwestern England, London and Scotland, and travel disruptions were expected to continue at least through Monday morning. Trains have been delayed and drivers of vehicles have been advised to take extra care after several accidents on the highways.

The wave of bad weather is expected to last several days. Blizzards across Poland have also caused widespread traffic disruption and sparked avalanche warnings.

The Polish Institute of Meteorology issued a weather warning across the country on Sunday, as the "Brygida" cold weather front brought snow and strong winds to many large regions.

Snowy conditions are expected to continue in other European countries, with temperatures expected to reach as low as -23 degrees Celsius in Scandinavia. In France, forecaster Météo-France said on Monday that wintry weather would cover a large part of the country -- with freezing fog expected in the north-east, rain in the extreme south-west, and snow and slippery conditions due to spread from the Massif Central to the south-east. The cold weather represents a significant stress test for Europe's energy infrastructure after several governments have warned of possible power outages in the upcoming winter months. ( Source Euronews)