Europe hit by extreme cold causing floods in Germany and power cuts in Nordic countries

Thousands in the Nordic countries were left without power on Thursday as gusty winds and snow wreaked havoc in the region, leaving many drivers stuck in their cars on the hazardous, clogged highways.

Finland and Sweden recorded temperatures of below -40 degrees Celsius earlier this week, the coldest of the winter, forcing school closures and causing travel disruptions.

In Arctic Sweden, some 4,000 homes were left in the dark on Thursday as temperatures plunged to -38 degrees Celsius, according to Swedish public radio.

The day before, the mercury had dropped to -43.6 degrees Celsius, the lowest January temperature recorded in Sweden in 25 years.

The municipality of Enontekio in Finnish Lapland, near the border with Norway and Sweden, reported a record temperature of -42.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.

Denmark and Norway, both battered by wind and snow, were also similarly affected. Hundreds of passengers aboard a ferry sailing between Oslo and Copenhagen finally arrived in the Danish capital after spending a night aboard the vessel which had been idling in the Øresund strait due to the storm.

The extreme cold that hit the Scandinavian region is part of a storm that has also impacted Western Europe. Heavy rains have led to floods in France, Germany, and the Netherlands, adding to the ongoing flooding in these regions over the past two weeks.

One death linked to the weather was reported in France. As of Thursday, several towns in northern France were underwater after several days of rain. Government officials are expected to visit the area today.

In Germany, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday that he plans to make his second visit this week to inspect a dike and a sandbag-filling facility in the eastern town of Sangerhausen.

Res