Western Europe Buried in Snow

The last two weeks have brought some of the heaviest snowfalls in years to several European countries.  mapsales.com takes a look at which areas in Europe have had to dig their way out of one of this year’s biggest snowstorms. 

Use a Europe wall map to locate these countries: Austria, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, and Germany.  These countries are experiencing some of the worst snowstorms in years, leading to cancelled flights, closed roads, and snow-buried homes. 

The Austrian weather service reported as much as 85 inches of snow on the ground this week in at least two villages.  Many of these places haven’t seen snow this deep in over 30 years.  In the village of Nauders, its current snow depth of 47 inches breaks records dating back to the 1960s. 

The same low pressure system that has brought heavy snowfalls to Austria has covered parts of Switzerland, France, and Germany in a thick blanket of powder.  Strong winds have also swept through the Alpine countries, making the frosty weather even more biting.  Residents of these snow-covered regions continue to plow roads, dig out their cars, and do whatever it takes to endure a particularly arduous winter. 

Today in the UK, London’s Heathrow Airport cancelled about 60 flights, while 24 vehicles cleared runways.  Planes were eventually given the go-ahead to take off, even with continuing snowfall.  Closures were in place at three other airports - Cardiff in Wales, Bristol in southeast England, and Southampton on England's south coast. 

The copious amounts of snow covering Western Europe occur once every few years or so.  But while heavy snowfall means inconvenience and bitter cold for many people, it can also transform Europe into a beautiful, surreal landscape.

Click here to view a zoom-able Europe wall map.  Use the map to identify the countries mentioned in this article and find major geographic features like the Alps, the English Channel, and more. The next time you see or hear a news story about an unfamiliar area, take a look at a wall map.  Maps can help us learn more about what’s going on in the world.