A significant cold snap is sweeping across Northern Europe, bringing freezing temperatures, heavy snow, and icy conditions that are driving up demand for heating and placing additional pressure on the region’s already dwindling gas inventories, Bloomberg reports.
The UK is facing widespread weather disruptions, with Scotland under yellow weather alerts and facing the possibility of blizzard conditions. Amber weather warnings are in place across parts of England and Wales for the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency has issued cold health warnings extending through Wednesday, urging residents to take precautions against the cold.
The wintry weather extends across the Channel, with northeast France and northwest Germany also under alert for snow and ice. The German weather service (DWD) reports that snow is expected to become heavier in the north throughout Friday, with isolated wintry showers forecast further south.
The French Alps are under avalanche alerts, with the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research in Davos, Switzerland, issuing a considerable danger level for regions above 2,200 meters. Icy conditions in France are expected to potentially disrupt road transport on Saturday, according to La Chaine Meteo.
Norway is also experiencing harsh winter conditions, with snow warnings across parts of the country and temperatures in Oslo potentially plummeting to -15 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) over the weekend.
The sustained period of frigid weather is causing a surge in demand for heating across the region, further straining gas inventories that were already a source of concern. The extreme cold has highlighted the region’s vulnerability to weather-related energy supply issues.
While a brief respite is expected on Sunday and Monday, with a period of milder weather, colder conditions are forecast to return later in the week, prolonging the need for increased heating and potentially placing additional pressure on resources.
