Europe, UK Snow: Snow Closes Paris Airport, Effiel Tower, video

by NowPublic Staff | December 8, 2010 at 02:08 pm

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Scotland And France Bad Weather: Heavy Snow In France Forces Closure of Charles De Gaulle Airport, And Eiffel Tower In Paris (photos) | Snow Causes Chaos In Scotland (photos)

Some of the heaviest snowfalls in 25 years has hit France, forcing the closures of the Charles De Gaulle Aiport in Paris and the iconic landmark, the Eiffel Tower.

The Meteo France service reported that one of its Paris weather stations had recorded 11cm (4.5in) of snow. The French capital has not seen a larger one-day snowfall since 1987.

Although the Paris Metro and rail network were operating normally on Wednesday, Charles de Gaulle airport closed for part of the afternoon until workers were able to clear the runways of snow.

The Eiffel Tower and the area surrounding it was covered in a blanket of white - lovely but ultimately inaccessible to visitors as the Eiffel Tower was forced to close, however the snow in Paris has its own charms.

This is marvellous. I didn't think it could snow so much in Paris and that these gardens could be so beautiful," said Didier Mathus, one of many members of parliament enchanted by a snowfall of rare intensity for the heart of Paris.

Much of Western Europe and parts of the UK are dealing with unusually high levels of snow

Snow And Cold In Scotland

Meanwhile in Scotland the highway connecting Glasgow with Edinburgh was closed much of the week because of snow and ice.

Scotland had faced a "perfect storm" of snow and freezing conditions, the country's transport minister said, as the main motorway, the M8, finally reopened after two days of gridlock across much of the central belt. A man waits for a bus in Edinburgh. The city has seen its heaviest snowfall in nearly 50 years over the past 11 days.

Despite forecasts of a thaw across much of the UK before the weekend, the big freeze is continuing to cause chaos – hundreds of motorists spent a second night in their cars on snowbound roads as temperatures north of the border again fell to -20C (4F). And more than 100 vehicles were trapped on an exposed route in North Yorkshire after a sudden heavy snow shower on Tuesday night.