In France alone, five deaths were reported due to weather-related road accidents. Officials said three people died in the Landes region after vehicles skidded on black ice, while two fatalities occurred in the Paris region in separate incidents. In one case, a collision with a heavy goods vehicle proved fatal in eastern Paris. In another, a taxi driver lost control on snow-covered roads and plunged into the Marne River. Outside France, a woman in Sarajevo was killed after a tree collapsed under the weight of heavy, wet snow, according to local police.
The storm has paralysed air traffic across key European hubs. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport cancelled around 40% of flights on Wednesday morning to allow crews to clear snow from runways. Orly Airport planned to cancel about 25% of departures during the same period. In the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport cancelled more than 400 flights, with a further 600 departures called off later in the day, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported. Thousands of passengers were left stranded amid long queues and limited information.
Dutch airline KLM said a significant number of its services were affected and warned that de-icing fluid supplies were running low, compounding delays. Across terminals, passengers reported confusion and frustration as connections were missed and rebooking options proved scarce.
Rail travel also faced major disruption. In the Netherlands, all train services were briefly halted on Tuesday morning due to an IT outage, adding to weather-related delays. Although some services resumed later, knock-on effects continued through the day. Eurostar services between Amsterdam and Paris were cancelled or ran significantly late, disrupting cross-border travel.
France’s national weather service placed 38 districts under an orange alert for snow and black ice. Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot urged citizens to work from home where possible and limit road travel, warning that conditions remained dangerous. Emergency services across affected regions remained on high alert as authorities worked to restore transport links and clear critical infrastructure.
