Sweden is in the grip of the cold with freezing temperatures. Yesterday the coldest temperature ever recorded in the month of January for 25 years was recorded. The record cold was recorded in Kvikkjokk-Årrenjarka, Swedish Lapland, where the mercury dropped to -43.6 C, the coldest temperature recorded in the country in January since 1999, the Swedish News Agency reported TT.
Sweden, the great cold: record temperatures exceeding minus 40 degrees
Hundreds of cars were stuck for hours on the E22 road between Hörby and Kristianstad, in the south of the country. The Swedish Armed Forces were sent to help motorists and deliver food and water. According to the Swedish Transport Administration, the road will not be passable again before 12pm. Meanwhile in the town of Alvsbyn 4 thousand houses were left without electricity. Vattensfall, the Swedish electricity company, is ready, it is reported, to repair the fault but the strong cold hinders the work.
The Siberian cold wave has been affecting all of Central and Western Europe for a few days, with temperatures below zero even during the day. This sudden drop in temperatures was caused by a strong area of high pressure that remained for a long time between Greenland and Iceland: Atlantic disturbances hit the regions from west to east on the Mediterranean, while Siberian currents hit Western Europe. This sort of “blockage” in circulation went on for days, causing heavy snowfall in Germany, Holland, and the British Isles.
France and Germany
After heavy rains, the regions of Lower Saxony and Thuringia in Germany and the North and Pas-de-Calais in France are facing floods and river overflows. In recent days, both countries requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism which quickly mobilized emergency support. For Germany, 39 French rescuers with flood barriers and 16 vehicles have started response activities. For France, 3 high-capacity modules with 4 pumps from Holland, 2 pumps from the Czech Republic and 2 pumps from Slovakia are scheduled to depart today. Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Slovenia and Slovakia also quickly offered their assistance in case of further needs.
«With the start of the new year, EU solidarity does not waver. Once again, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism's rapid and decisive assistance to the flood-hit regions of Germany and France testifies to the strength of unity. I thank Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden for promptly demonstrating their support,” said Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic.
In Italy
In the coming days, the meteorological events that will occur will require particular attention. In fact, a significant change in climatic conditions is expected, with a drop in temperatures that could lead to a very severe cold wave.
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