User:Rev-san/Subpages/March 2013 European snowfalls

March 2013 saw a series of heavy snowfalls, the resulting buildup of snowdrifts by high winds caused widescale disruption across Europe, causing vehicles to stuck on major highways and railways, and significant power lines to fail. Among the affected countries were France, the United Kingdom , Germany , Belgium , the Netherlands , Poland , Hungary , Slovakia   and Romania. In the case of Hungary, the government declared a state of emergency, and ordered military and counter-terrorism forces (TEK) to help with relief efforts.

France
Northern France was hit by heavy snow beginning on the 11 March, wih Meteo France warning of "dangerous weather of an exceptional intensity". Snowfall across Normandy, Brittany and Picardy was up to 40cm deep and drifting in 100 kmh winds. Eurostar suspended its cross-channel services between Paris and London.

The storm also hit the Channel Islands, producing 8 foot high drifts on Guernsey with blizzards described as the worst since 1979 according to the Jersey Met Office.

United Kingdom
The south-east of the United Kingdom was also suffered disruption from the 11 March snowfall, with motorists experiencing disruption in Kent and Sussex. On 22 March the UK saw another snowfall described as the worst March snowfall in 30 years, with North-west England, south-west Scotland and Northern Ireland worst affected.

Ukraine
23 March brought heavy snow to Ukraine with the normal monthly amount of snow falling in just 24 hours. A state of emergency was declared with the military using armoured personnel carriers to drag busses out of snow drifts.