AP PICTURES: Chilly weather hits Europe, but also brings fun
LONDON (AP) – Bad weather in Europe, ranging from floods in France to heavy snow in Germany, has caused disruption and damage, as well as beautiful backdrops to behold or play in.
Floods devastated many vineyards and orchards in south-west France, while the Seine burst its banks for the fifth consecutive day in Paris.
In Britain, heavy snow is forecast for the next few days and will bring disruption to South East England, as bitterly cold winds take hold of much of the country. Some areas in the UK caught the accumulation on Sunday.
A snowstorm and strong winds beat North and West Germany, forcing trains to cancel journeys and leading to hundreds of car accidents. Police said more than two dozen people were injured on icy roads.
But the storms also left picturesque scenes, with people enjoying the day as Sahara sand colored the snow near Altenberg, Germany. And a pony ran a show near Millhouse Green in the North East of England, while a horse-drawn carriage drove through the German town in a gust.
A man used a surfboard to sled down a snow-covered hill in the Wye National Nature Reserve near Ashford in southern England.
The weather will remain freezing across the continent for the next few days. The temperature dropped to -21 C (-5.8 F) in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, on Sunday.