(Bloomberg) -- Snow is blanketing parts of Europe as a blast of Arctic air brings the first cold snap of winter, boosting heating demand across the region.
The Met Office expanded yellow warnings for snow and ice to cover much of the UK, including London. Those alerts will extend into Wednesday, with potential disruptions to road and rail transport across the country. Temperatures dropped as low as -11C (12.2F) in Scotland, with as much as 12 centimeters (5 inches) of snow in parts of England.
The freezing weather is set to lift heating demand, forcing some European countries to tap gas reserves, especially on days when lower wind speeds curb renewable generation. UK wind generation is set to slump below 3 gigawatts on Friday as temperatures remain low, putting pressure on the power grid.
Londoners could see lows of -4C on Wednesday according to the Met Office. Temperatures in Berlin and Paris will also dip below zero throughout the week, according to Weather Services International. In the Nordics, Oslo is forecast to remain below zero for five days.
There’s a severe weather alert in place on Tuesday for southwest Germany, which is bracing for hurricane-force winds of up to 130 kilometers (81 miles). Snow will spread to Germany, Switzerland and Italy later this week, with Meteo Suisse expecting up to 70 centimeters at higher altitudes.
Copernicus forecasts widespread snowfall across parts of France in the coming days. Some ski resorts, such as Chamonix, may get more than 1.5 meters of snow by the end of the week.
On the French island of Corsica, wind speeds as strong as 200 kilometers per hour are forecast on Wednesday.
- North West Europe has a daily average of 14 heating degree days for the 1-5 day forecast, according to WSI, 3 above the 10-year norm.
- Nordic Region has a daily average of 19 heating degree days for the 1-5 day forecast, according to WSI, 3 above the 10-year norm.
(Updates with details throughout)
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