Severe winter weather prompted alerts across much of Spain on Wednesday, with snow, strong winds, freezing temperatures and rough seas leading to warnings in 14 of the country’s 17 autonomous communities.
Spain’s State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) forecast minimum temperatures of minus 6 C in Girona (Catalonia) and Huesca (Aragón), minus 5C in Ávila (Castilla y León) and Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha), and lows of up to minus 14C in the Parameras de Molina area of Guadalajara (Castilla-La Mancha).
Yellow-level cold warnings were issued for wide areas including Almería, Córdoba, Granada, Jaén, Sevilla, Mallorca, Cantabria, Ávila, Segovia, Soria, Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, Tarragona, the mountain ranges around Madrid, Murcia, Navarre, Alicante, Castellón and Valencia.
AEMET also warned of significant snowfall in the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains, as well as the possibility of snow at low elevations in northern parts of the country.
Meanwhile across large parts of Europe, snow, ice and high winds continued to cause major disruption for a third consecutive day. Hundreds of flights were cancelled and travellers were left stranded in several countries.
Paris and Amsterdam were among the worst-hit cities. Dutch authorities said more than 1,000 passengers were forced to spend the night at Schiphol Airport, one of Europe’s busiest transport hubs.
At least six people have died in weather-related incidents as the continent experiences its coldest spell of the winter so far. Five deaths were confirmed in France on Tuesday, while a woman died in Bosnia after heavy snow and rain triggered flooding and power cuts across parts of the Balkans.
The freezing conditions have been particularly harsh for people sleeping rough, for whom the sudden cold snap has come as a severe shock.
More than 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday at Paris Charles de Gaulle airport, with a further 40 called off at Orly, the French capital’s other main airport.
Public bus services in Paris and its surrounding suburbs were suspended due to icy roads, and nearly half of mainland France remained on alert for heavy snowfall and black ice.
Schiphol Airport said over 700 flights had already been cancelled and warned that further cancellations were likely. Belgium’s main hub, Brussels Airport, also reported 40 flight cancellations on Wednesday.
In Britain, temperatures continued to fall, forcing hundreds of schools – particularly in Scotland – to close for a third day. Authorities warned that some rural communities could become ‘cut off’ due to snow.
Disruption also affected international rail travel, with the Eurostar service linking London to mainland Europe again hit by cancellations and delays.
Nordic countries were grappling with similar problems. In eastern Sweden, officials warned that heavy snowfall could lead to power outages, while tram services were suspended in the western city of Gothenburg. Local authorities advised residents to avoid driving and stay at home where possible.
In Denmark, police in the far northern region of North Jutland cautioned residents to prepare for heavy snow but said conditions remained manageable.
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España se congela con temperaturas mínimas de 17 grados bajo cero en el Pirineo, o inferiores a los 12 negativos en zonas de Guadalajara.
Arranca el #TD1
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▶https://t.co/Pj1z6JyXfP pic.twitter.com/Fz4LZG9QJK— Telediarios de TVE (@telediario_tve) January 7, 2026
07/01 00:06 AVISOS HOY Y MAÑANA | España: vientos, costeros, temperaturas mínimas y nevadas. Nivel máximo de aviso: rojo.
Actualizaciones en https://t.co/BLdoSsO2Qv pic.twitter.com/sd7zsWiz4K— AEMET (@AEMET_Esp) January 6, 2026
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