Early 2012 European cold wave

A deadly cold wave started in Europe on January 27, 2012, and brought snow and freezing temperatures to much of the continent. There were more than 824 reported deaths in both Europe and North Africa. Particularly low temperatures hit several Eastern and Northern European countries, reaching as low as −42.7 °C (−44.9 °F) in Finland. The heaviest snow was recorded in the Balkan region. The cold weather was a result of an extensive area of very high pressure located over the north east of the continent in northern Russia, which circulated cold air from the east.
The northern half of Europe was affected primarily by greater cold and – except for a period of early snow – low precipitation. The snowfall of the third week of January was up to 1 m (3.3 ft) of snow in a few days, particularly affecting Slovakia and Bulgaria. On Sunday, January 22, heavy snowfall in northern Námestovo caused an ice rink to collapse under the weight of the snow.
In Inari, Finland, temperatures of −42.7 °C (−44.9 °F) were recorded on February 6, the lowest temperatures in Europe. The village Kvilda in Sumava (Czech Republic) recorded temperatures of −38.1 °C (−36.6 °F) on February 3, the lowest temperatures in Central Europe.
Ukraine was especially affected by the onset of cold weather, at the end of January, the temperatures fell below −30 °C (−22 °F), at the time the snow was at least 30 cm (12 in), on February 3, over 100 cm (3.3 ft), and by the end of the first week of February, over 130 cm (4.3 ft) was recorded. The Ukrainian government announced that many of the public safety issues it was encountering were related to alcohol abuse in the context of the dangerously cold weather.
The Baltic states also recorded temperatures down to −30 °C (−22 °F). Moscow announced that, since the beginning of the last week of January, night temperatures ranged down to −25 °C (−13 °F).
The Mediterranean coast of southern France was covered in deep snow by the end of January. Corsica was buried under 40 cm (1.3 ft) of snow, and at times there were as many as 14,000 homes without electricity.
In early February, heavy snow pile-ups hit the Helsinki region. Belgium also was surprised by the snowfall. At the same time, the snow reached the British Isles, causing interruptions at London Heathrow Airport where up to 10 cm (3.9 in) of snow impeded many scheduled flights.
In Germany, the Elbe downstream of Magdeburg became impassable due to ice, as well as the entire Elbe–Havel Canal and parts of the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal. Supplies had to be sent to the island of Spiekeroog via aircraft for the second time in its history, as the ferry service was canceled on February 7, 2012, due to heavy ice conditions in the North Sea. On Lake Constance, the catamaran speed-boat traffic between Friedrichshafen and Konstanz had to be canceled due to the icing over of the port in Konstanz on February 7 until further notice. This port had not been frozen to such an extent since the winter of 1962–1963.
Italy, the Balkans and the Danube were in addition to cold weather also affected by heavy snowfall; Erfrierungsopfer also reported the majority of countries of this area, as well as extensive traffic delays and economic consequences. The cold wave covered the Maghreb in the western Mediterranean, as well as the Aegean, the Turkey and the Levant in the eastern part of the Mediterranean area. On Bologna fell 94 cm (37 in) of snow between February 1 and 12 with a maximum height on the ground of 65 cm (26 in); 190 cm (75 in) fell on Cesena (30m above sea level) with maximum height of 120 cm (47 in) and 326 cm (128 in) fell on Urbino where the snow accumulation on the ground reached 2 m (79 in) deep. Turkey, Spain and Portugal fell to low temperatures in early February, the temperature sometimes considerably below the freezing point. Snow fell in Mallorca for the first time since 1995, and even in Algiers, Algeria and southern Tunisia in Gabès. In Italy, there were extensive power outages (up to 120,000 people were without electricity) as well as traffic congestion, and the Army had to intervene for snow removal: in Rome, where snow had fallen before the weekend of February 4–5, it was almost impossible to drive. Until the second week of February reigned throughout northern and central Italy tiefwinterliche conditions, particularly in Marche, in Umbria, the Abruzzi and Emilia-Romagna. In Rome, after the snowfalls of February 11–12, 2,000 passengers had to spend the night in Fiumicino airport.
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