Extreme cold has left thousands without power in northern European countries

Extremely cold temperatures, exacerbated by strong winds and snow, caused chaos in the Scandinavian region this Thursday, leaving thousands of people without electricity while others suffered for hours in cars on congested motorways.

Heavy rains in Germany, France and the Netherlands have again caused flooding in regions that have seen persistent flooding for the past two weeks.

There was one death in France: a 73-year-old man was found in a partially submerged car near the city of Nantes on Wednesday, according to the North American news agency AP.

Bitter cold weather has disrupted transport links across the Northern region, with reports of traffic chaos following the closure of sections of motorways and main roads.

Problems have also been recorded with railway communication.

Power was cut to about 4,000 homes in Arctic Sweden, where temperatures dropped to minus 38 degrees Celsius, according to Swedish public radio.

The Swedish army has been mobilized to help free motorists stranded between Horby and Kristianstad, in the southern county of Skane, French news agency AFP reported.

By mid-morning (local time), all people were cleared from the road except for the truck drivers, emergency services at the scene said.

During the night, these people were given food and some sick people were treated, the police added.

The road will be closed until Friday morning, the Swedish Transport Agency said.

In neighboring Denmark, motorists were advised not to drive near the city of Aarhus, the country’s second city in the east, where traffic jams reach 30 kilometers.

In Norway, in Lapland, in the far north, in Kautokeino, the temperature dropped to -41.6°C overnight.

Police advised motorists in the region not to drive, and all trains between Oslo and Kristiansand (south) were also cancelled.

Temperatures in the Norwegian capital are expected to drop to -25°C on Saturday.

A ferry connecting the capitals of Norway and Denmark docked in Copenhagen today after around 900 passengers spent the night on board the vessel in the Oresund Strait.

In Germany, heavy rain has returned in regions that have seen persistent flooding over the past two weeks, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected to visit the eastern city of Sangerhausen in the coming hours.

The Dutch government, which is also facing extremely high water levels in rivers and lakes, said it would send pumps to France to help combat widespread flooding.

“There has been heavy rain recently, which means water in France can no longer drain properly,” Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Water Resources Mark Harbers said in a statement.

“That’s why it’s important that we help each other get rid of the water as quickly as possible,” he added.

Each of the Dutch emergency pumps is capable of processing five million liters of water per hour.