A rare blizzard has struck the Spanish coast and Balearic Islands in some of the worst weather seen in 50 years. The snow storm swept in on the holiday island of Majorca after causing havoc in Barcelona, the Costa Brava and parts of the French Mediterranean coast. Roads were closed as up to four inches of snow fell across Majorca and many residents and holidaymakers stayed indoors. Thousands of householders on the Costa Brava were still without electricity today in the wake of the worst snow along the Catalan coast for half a century. Flights were cancelled and commuters faced traffic chaos as drivers battled in the sub-zero temperatures. Around 3,000 people were forced to stay in the town hall after the road closures as they were unable to get home.The snowfall is the heaviest seen in Barcelona since 1962. As well as Spain, snow also fell in France, Italy and Greece. Thousands of lorries were left stranded on the France/Spain border after 40 roads were blocked by snow that fell to over 3ft deep. In Italy, the snowfall hit tourist hotspots such as Pisa, Siena and Assisi, and brought Rome to a standstill. Snow closed schools on the island of Elba and in the Umbria region, while in Sicily a landslide disrupted rail travel. (Daily Mail)
