Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Thousands of tourists found themselves stranded in northern Finland on Sunday as extreme cold forced the cancellation of flights at Kittilä airport.
Temperatures plummeted to a staggering minus 37 degrees Celsius (minus 34.6 degrees Fahrenheit) at the airport on Sunday morning. This severe chill, which followed several days of similar frigid conditions, made crucial operations such as aircraft de-icing exceptionally difficult, according to Finland’s national public broadcaster Yle.
The deep freeze is set to persist in Kittilä, located in the sparsely populated Finnish Lapland, with the Finnish Meteorological Institute forecasting temperatures nearing minus 40C (minus 40F) for Monday. While residents of Finland are accustomed to harsh winter weather, this year’s cold snap is notably more severe than usual, impacting vast swathes of northern, central, and eastern Europe.
Heavy snowfall, high winds and icy roads have made travel difficult in parts of Europe.
In Germany, train passengers were still experiencing long delays and cancellations Sunday after rail operator Deutsche Bahn shut down all service in the north of the country on Friday due to strong snowfall.
Authorities announced that all schools would remain closed and switch to online classes on Monday in North Rhine-Westphalia, the country’s most populous western state, after forecasts of icy roads across the region.
open image in gallery
People walk in freezing temperatures in Ylläs, Finland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Satu Renko/Lehtikuva via AP) (Str / Lehtikuva)
In the Baltic countries of Estonia and Lithuania, drivers were asked to postpone all nonessential travel because of expected blizzards, while neighboring Latvia issued a snow alert for the west of the country.
In France, parts of north-west were battered by the strong winds of Storm Goretti which also caused disruption across the UK.
No major damage was reported, but some 320,000 homes were left without power at noon on Friday.
Most of the outages were concentrated in the Normandy region.
France’s national weather service, Meteo-France, had issued weather warnings ahead of the storm, urging residents to remain home.
A major road that leads from Prague to Germany was blocked by trucks at two places near the German border for hours while public transportation in the Czech capital came to a standstill in some parts of the city.
open image in gallery
Athletes ski despite the severe frost at the Puijo Ski Stadium in Kuopio, Finland, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (Matias Honkamaa/Lehtikuva via AP) (Str / Lehtikuva)
In neighbouring Germany, rail operator Deutsche Bahn halted its long-distance rail service for the north of the country, stranding thousands of travellers.
Many roads and rail connections elsewhere in the country were also affected by high winds and heavy snowfall. Public bus transportation was cancelled in many regions and schools stayed shut in some areas.
Two people died in a head-on collision between two cars in Bavaria, when one of the cars skidded, presumably because of the winter weather. In the Upper Palatinate region, a driver was killed when his car veered off the road and crashed into a tree, German news agency dpa reported.
Ferry services on the North Sea coast of Lower Saxony have largely come to a standstill, as several islands became inaccessible by boat because of strong easterly winds, dpa reported.
