Snow across Europe
Saturday December 19, 2009 - Email this article to a friend

It's causing problems in the UK and across many parts of Europe. There's even snow on Brighton beach - checkout the video. The trouble is it's not falling in the Alps or the Pyrenees as the first main week of the skiing season gets under way.

Parts of the UK woke up to a covering of snow on Friday morning and the ensuing travel chaos has been dominating the news with roads closed, flights cancelled and many people struggling to get into work.

Gatwick and Luton airports were closed disrupting the plans of many coming out to the Alps as the schools break up for the Xmas holidays.

For the children though it's been snowballs and snowmen in some parts of the country and the bookmakers have slashed the odds on a White Christmas.

It has certainly made many parts of the country look pretty.

There was even snow in Brighton.

It's not the Brighton in the US where you expect to see stacks of snow and many skiers out enjoying the white stuff, but it's Brighton in West Sussex on Friday 18th December 2009.

However out in the Alps, where PlanetSKI is based, we are rather jealous.

We need some fresh snow!

Pumping it out this weekHowever the snow cannons have been able to produce plenty of snow because of the cold temperatures so we are not going to moan too much. See this related story on how cold it is.

Skiing, though very cold, is still possible.

Across Europe the snow has caused problems.

The cold snap has disrupted transport across northwest Europe as it shivers under a pre-Christmas cold snap.

The French capital and much of the north of the country awoke to 7cms of snow, which delayed flights from Charles de Gaulle airport by up to two hours. The Eiffel Tower was even closed on Thursday.

Snow also fell in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands and weather experts forecast worse to come, with disruption especially in Scotland and Northern England.

Outskirts of Geneva, Friday morningIn Northern Holland it has been 25cm deep in places; the worst winter weather in several years.

Black ice has made many roads treacherous particularly the Brussels ring road and the motorway from the capital to Lille in northern France, according to reports we have seen on the BBC.

In the Alps it has been snowing at Geneva and the roads have been affected but in Switzerland, of course, all rail services are running normally.

See the short video below that one of our reporters took as he travelled round the western Swiss Alps on Friday, with some snow down at the valley floor.

Further south in Spain Madrid had snow earlier in the week and more is set to fall across the country over the weekend.

Can we have some snow clouds please?Sadly though the snow clouds remain resolutely away from the main parts of the Alps.

It has snowed in the mountains of Eastern Europe but not in Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy.

We'll just have to watch UK television and laugh!

Later today we will have a full round up of conditions round the Alps complete with video and we'll have a tale of one poor skiers attempt to get out here today as he flew from London to Geneva. It looks like he's going to make it - in the end. Hopefully.

So do check back for those stories.

If you are in the UK enjoy the snow and send some over to the Alps!

NEWS UPDATE, SATURDAY 8AM: Our prayers have been answered - it is chucking it down here in Verbier, Switzerland and it is happening across many other parts of the Alps. We'll be hearing from our reporters round the mountains and taking the TV camera out today so check back later this afternoon to see what it is like.

If only it always happened like this once we wished for a bit of snow!