Rome woke to its first snowfall in six years on Monday as chilling winds from Siberia swept across Europe, bringing freezing temperatures that have claimed at least four lives, closed schools and disrupted travel.
The “Beast from the East”, as the phenomenon has been dubbed by the British media, is expected to bring cold air from Russia over the next few days that will make it feel even chillier than thermometers indicate.
Rome saw its first snowfall since February 2012, with about three to four centimeters (1.2 to 1.6 inches) settling on the ground Sunday.
Schools were closed in the Italian capital as local authorities opened several train stations as emergency shelters for the homeless.
It was zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) in Rome on Monday morning, with a low of minus six Celsius forecast until Wednesday but no more snow is forecast.
In the north Italian city of Turin, heavy snow had caused a Serie A football game between Juventus and Atalanta to be postponed on Sunday.
Two people have died of the cold in Poland since Saturday, bringing the winter’s toll to 48 since November, according to the centre for national security.
Temperatures plunged to minus 26.2 C overnight in the northeastern town of Goldap, with daytime forecasts predicting lows of up to minus 11 C on Monday in eastern Poland.
