WARSAW, Poland — An extreme Siberian cold snap sweeping across Europe is claiming lives in Poland and Romania, but also dusted the ancient ruins of Pompeii with snow Tuesday and prompted Amsterdam authorities to prepare the city’s iconic canals for ice-skaters. British Airways cancelled a number of short flights while trying to preserve its long-haul schedule to and from London Heathrow Airport. The mercury dropped below minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) in large parts of the country and to minus 30.4 C (minus 22 F) atop the country’s highest peak, the Zugspitze in the Alps. A day after Rome was blanketed with a thick pile of snow, the Eternal City all but returned to normal Tuesday. The local water authority said it was also closing sluices and locks to hasten ice growth by slowing the movement of water.

Source: National Post February 27, 2018 09:11 UTC