Cold Snap Reaches Germany, With Bavaria at -33c

Germany was yesterday in the grip of some of the coldest temperatures for 50 years after the recent freezing snap in Russia spread across much of Europe.

Temperatures in Berlin plummeted to -17C, with a low of -33.8C recorded in parts of Bavaria. Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Romania saw a similar icy wave, with temperatures of -32C and below. Several southern European countries, including Greece, had snow. Meteorologists said they expected the arctic-style weather to continue until tomorrow.

The severe cold snap has led to dozens of deaths across eastern Europe, as well as power breakdowns, snowstorms and traffic chaos. Polish officials said 27 homeless people froze to death over the weekend, bringing the total number of cold-related deaths this winter to 150.

In Germany a woman froze to death after stumbling while posting a letter, and joggers discovered the body of a 48-year-old man who collapsed on his way home from an evening out. The Red Cross also had to rescue a seven-year-old schoolboy who licked a lamppost in temperatures of -18C. His tongue froze to the metal. Even the polar bears at Berlin's zoo have refused to go swimming, officials said yesterday.

Although central Europe historically has lower winter temperatures than Britain, the recent cold spell caused by Claus - an area of high pressure from Russia - has broken records.

Yesterday was the coldest day in Berlin since 1978, with surrounding rural Brandenburg at its lowest temperatures since 1956. Lakes in Berlin froze long ago, with the Havel - a normally unfreezable river - covered in a thick icy crust.

It is still freezing in Russia, too. Some 12,000 people in Podolsk, near Moscow, were yesterday forced to endure -22C after the town's heating system packed up. In Romania, meanwhile, six people froze to death because of sub-zero temperatures.

Scientists remain divided over whether the icy spell is related to normal cycles.