Finland, Sweden shiver in coldest Jan in 25 years, mercury drops to -43.6°C

Nordic countries Finland and Sweden recorded coldest January in 25 years, closing in on the January 1999 record when temperature reached minus 49 degrees Celsius (minus 56.2 Fahrenheit).

Source: AP

Temperatures fell below 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Nordic region for a second day in a row.

Source: AP

Airlines remained grounded at Lulea airport due to heavy snow and difficulty in de-icing the planes, several trains and ferry services were suspended.

Source: AP

The extreme cold and snowstorms disrupted the transportation, while schools in Scandinavia were closed due to gusts of cold and strong winds, as well as heavy rainfall in western parts of Europe.

Source: AP

Heavy cold winds descended from Siberia and the Arctic region on western Russia. Temperatures in Moscow and surrounding areas plummeted to minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 F).

Source: AP

In Britain, a driver died after a tree fell on his car in western England as storm Henk caused power outages, transport halt, and property damages across Ireland, Netherlands, UK.

Source: AP

"To put that into perspective, that is the lowest January temperature in Sweden since 1999," Mattias Lind, meteorologist at Sweden's national weather agency SMHI reportedly says.

Source: AP

Several instances of burst water pipes were reported, and the cold wave is expected to move towards South.

Source: X