European Cold Snap Freezes Venice, Berlin and Other Destinations (PHOTOS)

The cold snap currently freezing Europe in its tracks -- halting commutes, breaking dams and leaving many stuck at home -- has continued its drive west and south, stretching over Spain and Italy and dropping rare snow on Algeria. Though the storm has been nothing short of a nightmare for Europeans, it has given travelers an opportunity to see many of the continent's great destination in a new, albeit extreme, light.

The ferries that parade down Venice's canals have turned into ice breakers even as Amsterdams canals have turned to skateable ice. It's a tough skier's bonanza in the Alps and even destinations known for their mild weather have taken a turn for the solid. The edge of the Black Sea is frozen and covered in white.

Though the views are spectacular, the cold has been a mixed blessing even for visitors. Yes, stories of sledding in Slovenia and cross-country skiing in Pamplona are likely to go down well at future cocktail parties, but in the mean time the whole transportation infrastructure of Europe is sagging under the weight of snow and ice.

Numerous flights out of Amsterdam have been delayed and Heathrow has hardly maintained a stiff upper lip. The airport canceled nearly a third of scheduled flights in the past two days, affecting flights in the US and Asia.

Though the end of the storm seems to be on the horizon, travel around Europe will likely continue to be both hectic and beautiful until a thaws helps the locals dig themselves out.

Comments

[fumes]

07:26 PM on 02/10/2012

Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past

By Charles Onians

Monday, 20 March 2000

Global warming, the heating of the atmosphere by increased amounts of industrial gases, is now accepted as a reality by the international community. Average temperatures in Britain were nearly 0.6°C higher in the Nineties than in 1960-90, and it is estimated that they will increase by 0.2C every decade over the coming century. Eight of the 10 hottest years on record occurred in the Nineties.

However, the warming is so far manifesting itself more in winters which are less cold than in much hotter summers. According to Dr David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia,within a few years winter snowfall will become "a very rare and exciting event".

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/snowfalls-are-now-just-a-thing-of-the-past-724017.html?printService=print

[Chris Fryer]

05:40 AM on 02/09/2012

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Chris Fryer

[KGcopie]

03:08 AM on 02/09/2012

Give us all a break you "Global Warming" religion cranks. Trying to justify record cold as global warming is a pathetic hoax.Go and do something useful, help some poor person who is suffering in the cold.

[wilray]

08:33 PM on 02/08/2012

These pictures the national post are really good.
http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/02/06/photos-europes-deep-freeze/

I marvel at the two fellows strolling along the Black Sea shore. They appear to be dressed more like I would do for a light fall evening. One seems to be wearing a sweater and the other a jacket, and neither seems to be wearing gloves or mittens. In weather like that I would definitely be bundled.

[ummm]

07:27 PM on 02/08/2012

#18-what makes those strange formations?

[iwannafly]

03:37 AM on 02/08/2012

winter, why are you being so wintry!

[jwavitable]

01:03 AM on 02/08/2012

It is winter time in the Northern hemisphere so cold weather is to be expected.
Anyway there is not much we can do about it.
One thing we know for sure is that while our govenrment proclaims climate change, they are not doing much about it. Except for generating their own hot air.
If our scientists were convinced that the globe was warming and the polar ice caps were going to melt, then you think we would be proavtive and start building sea walls now to keep the oceans at bay. I do not see this happening in any country so I must conclude that they are not so sure after all. Besides we have trouble with 5 day weather forecasts.

[beyondliberal]

04:54 PM on 02/08/2012

Tell me, please, where the $$$ would come from to do so?

[Nick128]

09:58 PM on 02/08/2012

Not that I agree with the whole global warming thing but I don't think any government is proactive. They knew the leeves in New Orleans couldn't with stand more than a Cat 4 hurricane several decades ago but still they did nothing.

[jwavitable]

11:30 PM on 02/08/2012

Nick, if I remember correctly the hurricane was down graded to a Cat 1 when it struck New Orleans. It was common knowledge that the 9th ward was a time bomb just waiting to go off. That land was known to be flood plain, thus it should have never been zoned for residential building. However the city needed revenue so the zoning was allowed. The lots were sold at a cheap price and low price housing was installed. Everyone there knew that they were on borrowed time. Aslo if I am not mistaken, I believe the new canal walls were built only to handle a Cat 3 hurricane, so this mess will eventually happen again in the future. Of course folks are rebuilding right back in the same place, so who is to blame here?

[syds180turn]

09:38 PM on 02/07/2012

Here in LA, it's been Spring-like, but last summer and the summer before that, it was actually in the 40's until around August. In February, the normal temps. are highs in the low to mid 60's and the low temps are around the low 40's to high 40's. We're also behind in rainfall, thought it rained slightly today. I've been to NYC on business and it was relatively mild for New York. However when I was in Great Britain, France and Germany...whew, it was cold like I've never seen it there before and I was born in Germany as well as lived in London and Paris. There is definitely a climate shift and these people who think that all of the scientific evidence is a hoax, are in complete denial.

[Canuckview]

03:17 PM on 02/07/2012

from March 2000- LOLOL

Sledges, snowmen, snowballs and the excitement of waking to find that the stuff has settled outside are all a rapidly diminishing part of Britain's culture, as warmer winters - which scientists are attributing to global climate change - produce not only fewer white Christmases, but fewer white Januaries and Februaries.

"Children just aren't going to know what snow is," he said.
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/snowfalls-are-now-just-a-thing-of-the-past-724017.html

[RayHorsleyConsu]

02:55 PM on 02/07/2012

I lived in Germany in the mid 50s when we experienced a winter with there Siberian winds. The fast moving Ems river froze completely and everyone was using it as a walkway. Forgot my hat one day and had to skate home holding my hand over my ears. Got frostbite and have hearing loss from it in one ear. I will always compare winters to that one.

[Noodlegirl]

12:58 PM on 02/07/2012

All we need are a bunch of nerds in T shirts and birkenstocks protesting global warming.

[mc]

02:57 PM on 02/07/2012

You obviously don't understand what climate change is all about.

[Noodlegirl]

06:45 PM on 02/07/2012

Neither did the nerds in Copenhagen.

[femmyror]

12:05 PM on 02/07/2012

Pretty amazing images with ice on the canals in Venice...

[Huntergp02]

11:46 AM on 02/07/2012

Darn that global warming, err..., climate change, err... Atmospheric Temperature Disability.

[Silverfern]

11:51 AM on 02/07/2012

The argument that if it is cold outside that trumps Science? Really? Thanks for showing just how ignorant you are. At least try to use Science to debate Climate change.

[Clem2]

01:18 PM on 02/07/2012

Yup these are the climate change deniers even as they SEE IT!

[femmyror]

12:04 PM on 02/07/2012

Weather isn't climate, genious.

[denny8844]

01:14 PM on 02/07/2012

But it certainly was when we had the Texas drought and when we had the Russian heatwave. Funny how things change so quick.

[beyondliberal]

04:56 PM on 02/08/2012

What? "Weather isn't climate". Then what the hell is it?
Oh, and it's "genius", genius.

[fumes]

10:53 AM on 02/07/2012

"New data indicates that changes in the Sun's output of energy were a major factor in the global temperature increases seen in recent years. The research will be unwelcome among hardcore green activists, as it downplays the influence of human-driven carbon emissions.

As the Sun has shown decreased levels of activity during the past decade, it had been generally thought that it was warming the Earth less, not more. Thus, scientists considered that temperature rises seen in global databases must mean that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions - in particular of CO2 - must be exerting a powerful warming effect.

According to a statement released by Imperial College:

Although the Sun's activity declined over this period, the new research shows that it may have actually caused the Earth to become warmer. Contrary to expectations, the amount of energy reaching the Earth at visible wavelengths increased rather than decreased as the Sun's activity declined, causing this warming effect.
"These results are challenging what we thought we knew about the Sun's effect on our climate," says Professor Joanna Haigh of Imperial, lead author of the study.

"It does require verification, but our findings could be too important to not publish them now," she told hefty boffinry mag Nature, which published the new research.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/10/07/solar_as_big_as_people/

[Robert Nix]

10:52 AM on 02/07/2012

If you're interest in some facts thinkprogress has some great information.

Is Climate Change Bringing the Arctic to Europe?

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/06/419154/climate-change-arctic-europe/

NASA: Human Activity, Not Solar Activity, Drives Global Warming and Returning to 350 ppm Is Needed to Stop It

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/02/05/419064/nasa-human-activity-not-solar-activity-drives-global-warming-350-ppm/