The CairnGorm Mountain ski centre in the Highlands will be closed for the day – because of too much snow.

After a two-day blizzard, the operators have had to bring in huge caterpillar vehicles and snow blowers to try to clear the approach road and the slopes.

Colin Matthew, operations manager at the centre near Aviemore, said roads were blocked by 15ft snow drifts.

January is on course to be the coldest for 37 years after temperatures in the first week of the month averaged minus 2.1 degrees.

Britain has not seen a snow-free day for four weeks, forecasters said.

Even discounting snowfall on Scottish mountains, it has snowed somewhere every day since December 17.

While a front of milder weather threatens to melt away the snow with the country returning to near normal conditions early next week – the snow and freezing temperatures could return by the following weekend.

Motorists have been warned to expect “dire” conditions on the roads after councils were ordered to cut their grit use by a half in an effort to prevent supplies running out entirely.

The drastic rationing will lead to accidents and long delays, motoring groups said, with more snow forecast for and the big freeze expected to continue well into next week.

Commuters are expected to wake up to another day of travel chaos today after further snowfall and plunging temperatures overnight.

While many schools have reopened ahead of crucial exams and train services are getting back to normal, some roads remain treacherous as councils facing grit and salt shortages are forced to prioritise.

A total of 28 people are now thought to have died because of the cold weather, and hospitals say they are overwhelmed with patients suffering from broken bones and respiratory problems brought on by the freezing conditions.

The Met Office has issued another severe weather warning for heavy snow in parts of Britain and in Kent the Army is on standby to deal with the latest disruption

Fresh falls will increase the pressure on dwindling grit supplies across the country as local authorities have already been forced to cut their use of grit salt by a quarter to help conserve supplies.

Germans were urged to buy enough food and medicines to last for up to four days with 20 centimetres (eight inches) of snowfall forecast to fall overnight Friday.

The government said all non-essential travel should be avoided.
By Friday evening, the island of Ruegen off the northeast coast was covered in 30 centimetres of snow while the capital Berlin was carpeted with snow and ice.
“What is being forecast for the weekend could lead to chaotic traffic conditions and potentially leave large parts of Germany completely paralysed,” the Autoclub Europa warned.

The UK has suffered its coldest night of the winter so far with temperatures plummeting to -22.1C (-7.8F) in Sutherland in the Highlands.

Overnight temperatures of -10C (14F) were widespread, leaving commuters again battling icy roads and pavements amid “stretched” road salt supplies.

Many schools remain shut, with rail and air travel again hit by delays. Fresh snow is falling in eastern England.

The weekend could be colder, as another week of Arctic conditions is forecast.

Temperatures as low as 1F (-17C) are causing a new round of disruption in Britain’s big freeze, turning heavy snow to ice and leaving at least 8,000 homes without power.

Arctic winds dragged overnight temperatures well below freezing point – even in city centres – turning snow to ice and making roads and pavements treacherous.

Hundreds of schools will remain closed today, thousands of workers will spend a second day at home and hospitals are expected to cancel more non-emergency operations.

Six more days of snow are forecast for parts of Britain, with roads already blocked and hundreds of schools closed in Britain’s longest cold snap since 1981.

Up to 10 inches (25cm) of snow fell across parts of London and the Home Counties overnight – with a further six inches (15cm) expected in those same areas by midday – adding to blizzards that affected northern England on Tuesday.

The heaviest snowfall in almost 50 years is hitting parts of Britain as Arctic weather brought nationwide chaos.

As the country was plunged into one of its worst winters for decades, the Met Office issued an emergency weather warning for all counties of the UK.

The South, including London and the Home Counties, were expected to bear the brunt of the snowfall with emergency services warning they are already struggling to cope with the increasingly bitter conditions.

Motoring organisations have predicted a “Black Monday” which could see a record number of breakdowns on the treacherous roads and motorways.

Large parts of Northern England and Scotland were already struggling to cope with up to nine inches of snow, but heavy falls are also expected in London and the southeast over the next two days.

In addition the country will receive a further arctic blast with temperatures dropping as low as minus 15 in some northern parts and minus 12 elsewhere.

The heavy rains in Andalucia have made it the wettest December since 1950, but it does mean that most of the region now has a supply of water, both for drinking and for agricultural purposes, for at least two years.

Fifteen days of continuous rain in some areas has seen many of the reservoirs double their capacity. This has been particularly welcome after one of the driest October’s on record.

A SUCCESSION of storms hit the province during the festive season, making this Christmas one of Almería’s wettest on record.

Roads in the municipalities of Ohanes, Viator, Pulpí and Serón had to be closed due to the heavy rainfall, which also caused large boulders to fall from cliffs along the El Cañarete coastal road between Almería city and the town of Aguadulce.

At two points the boulders reached the road but the prompt action of emergency services prevented the road from being closed.

Persistant heavy rain has left hundreds more homes flooded around Andalucia.

The record rainfall, which has seen over 400 litres falling in many areas in under a week, caused dozens of rivers to burst their banks.

The highest rainfall fell in Grazalema, where the town saw 709 litres per metre cubed fall since December 21.

Since September 1,200 litres have fallen in Spain´s wettest town, which is 60 per cent higher than the average for this time of year.

40 provinces across the country remain on alert on Saturday for heavy rain and strong winds.

The Spanish Meteorological Agency, AEMET, says that the heaviest rain will be in Andalucía but there will also be moderate rainfall in Galicia, Murcia and Alicante.

The snow line will be between 800 and 1,200m in the NE of the country and over 2,000m in the south, but the Sierra Nevada ski station is closed because of the wind. Cetursa say they hope to open for skiers on Sunday.
The Canary Island will see more cloudy intervals.

Plunging temperatures overnight have transformed overnight snowfall into treacherous icy surfaces.

The Met Office have issued warnings of “widespread icy roads” for most of England and Wales another inch of snow in the south of the country.

Some drivers have been stuck for hours in their cars on Monday night while others chose to abandon their vehicles after the wintry conditions paralysed large parts of the country and made many roads impassable.

Much of Europe is bracing for another day of heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures as a cold snap sweeps the continent, causing travel chaos.

More than 80 people have died across Europe, including at least 42 in Poland and another 27 in Ukraine.

Another 13 people died in car accidents in Austria, Finland and Germany, where temperatures fell to -33C (-27F).

Air, rail and road transport has been severely disrupted across northern Europe and more snow is expected.

The cold weather has claimed the life of a homeless man in Asturias

Winter is officially here on Monday, but much of Spain has already suffered the effects of wintery conditions with sub-zero temperatures across much of the country on Sunday, and even snow on the beach in San Sebastián, in the north. A homeless man was found dead on a street in Asturias on Saturday morning, a victim to the low temperatures affecting the principality.

Temperatures will fall to minus twenty degrees Centigrade in some areas

Temperatures in some parts of Spain are set to fall to as low as minus twenty degrees centigrade on Saturday night. All of the country will see temperatures below zero, wide areas inland will fall to -10ºc and it is expected to snow at sea level in Navarra. In Madrid the night time lows will be down to -6ºC and it will not rise above zero today.

The East Midlands, Essex, Norfolk, and Yorkshire are among the areas worst hit with 8ins of snow overnight (20cm).

Sussex, Kent and Surrey were also badly hit and are braced for another 8ins dump today, with the possibility of snow drifts whipped up by gale force 8 winds.
The Christmas getaway has been brought to a standstill with motorists struggling to get home to loved ones on the busiest travel day of the holidays, as conditions caused numerous accidents which have led to road closures.