Country in grip of big freeze

Thousands of homes in Moravia were without electricity as heavy snow swept across the Czech Republic causing flight disruptions, transport chaos and fatalities.

Prague City Hall had already spent 20 million Kč ($1.1 million) in clearance operations between Friday, Jan. 8, and Tuesday, Jan. 12.

As the capital battled the big freeze, Mayor Pavel Bém was on vacation, according to his office, which refused to confirm his exact whereabouts.

Forecasters expected more snow over the coming days with temperatures to remain well below freezing for the next week.

Meteorologists said this snowfall was the worst in 17 years, and the icy conditions are predicted to last until the end of January.

On the night of Jan. 10, 15 centimeters (6 inches) of snow fell in Prague, and the total snowfall since Jan. 8 was nearly 40 centimeters.

Snow flurries will cease next week, but meteorologists predict extremely cold weather, with temperatures plunging to minus 16 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit), causing treacherous conditions on roads and underfoot.  

Emergency services were struggling to restore electricity supplies as Moravia bore the brunt of the big chill.

In parts of Moravia, ice-snapped power lines led to power outages that left thousands of people without electricity. Crews were working around the clock to restore power. Inhabitants in some villages complained of being snowed under even after four days, saying snowplows had not yet cleared routes in their areas.

The main train service from Moravia to Slovakia was suffering delays.

Trolley buses in Brno were unable to operate due to frozen wires, and highways were blocked or unusable due to snow and ice.

Prague Ruzyně Airport canceled two flights, but many more were disrupted due to the cold front that moved in Jan. 8.

Transport in the capital was widely disrupted, with trams and trains all reporting serious delays.

Clearance crews were dumping snow from the city center into the Vltava River in order to free streets for ambulances, security forces and deliveries, City Hall said.

Prague authorities employed more than 1,000 workers to clear pavements and 124 snow-clearing vehicles to clear the streets but are fighting to clear all but the main roads and pavements of ice.

Curtailed city budgets mean snow and ice removal efforts are falling victim to a lack of financing, but millions of crowns have been spent on cleanup operations.

"From Friday, we have spread more than 7,000 tons of grit to make the roads and pavements safer, and the cost is already estimated at 20 million Kč," said Tomáš Mrázek, spokesman for Prague's Technical Road Adminstration.

"From our perspective, regarding the major roads and thoroughfares, I think we have managed them. It is fair to say there were no major problems on the main roads in Prague. Once the snow let up Monday, we managed to tackle the situation on minor roads as well."

Despite delays, airport authorities were confident flights would not be too severely disrupted.

"We are managing the snow well, keeping the flight schedules as normal as possible," said Michaela Lagronová, spokeswoman for Prague Ruznyě Airport.

"The biggest impact was on Friday and the weekend. The operation of the airport was not reduced, though there were some delays and cancellations due to weather conditions throughout Europe."

Police confirmed there have been at least three deaths related to the weather. A driver in Klenovka, east Bohemia, was found frozen in his car, and another man froze to death in Kladno, central Bohemia. Police also confirmed a homeless man was found frozen to death in Prague.

Meanwhile, there is increasing media speculation that Bém may be attempting to conquer Antarctica's highest peak, Mount Vinson (4,892 meters). He departed for the trip at the end of December.

If Bém, an accomplished mountaineer, climbs Mount Vinson, he will join the elite group of those who have conquered the highest mountains on seven continents.

- Petr Cibulka Jr. contributed to this report.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com