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UK’s traffic has been paralyzed since Friday, due to the big freeze affecting Northern Europe (related article/past entry of my blog). It’s the busiest time of the year just before Christmas and the cold front came at the worst timing. The highest temperature in London has been just 1º, and there is no sign that the snow piled up on the street would melt away, at least until Christmas. London’s Heathrow airport, one of the busiest airport in the world, has been experiencing numerous flight cancellations and severe delays, and has been barely functioning. Thousands of desperate passengers have to bare with never-ending waiting on the floor of the airport, with a slightest hope of good news, that may not come for at least few more days.
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Not only the air traffic, but rail networks have had severe disturbances such as delays and cancellations. Today at St Pancras International station, around 6,000 passengers of Eurostar have been waiting on a queue, stretching 1.2 miles/2km around the station, for seven hours under this freezing sky (video below/related article). There is no guarantee that they could get on the board today, though. For these poor passengers, Salvation Army‘s mobile canteen came on site, handing out hot tea and coffee for a little warmth (article).
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この混乱に巻き込まれた方々には、本当にお気の毒と言う他ない。政府は、これは何十年も経験した事のない異常事態というが、厳しい寒波もこれで3年目。昨日のニュースに出ていた気候学者によると、厳冬傾向は今後も続くかもしれないそうだ。寒いのは苦手なんだけどなあ。。。
There is nothing I can say but sorry to these people in the chaos. The government insists that this is the extreme weather that country hadn’t experienced for decades, but UK has encountered this severe cold winter three years in a row. According to a meteorologist on BBC news yesterday, this trend may continue despite the global warming… I hate cold!!
↑トラックの横転により、混雑する高速道路／An overturned lorry caused traffic jam on the M25
↓ 金曜までのロンドンの天気予報／5-day weather forecast in London
everydaylife.style 
本当に、毎日寒くて嫌になりますよね！なんかいつも雪が降ると大騒ぎになりますが、雪・寒さ対策はかなりの投資が必要ですので、今まで政府は滅多にない寒波にお金を出したくなかったんでしょう。特にキャメロン首相は、聖域なき予算カットを謳ってますからね。でも、世界でも最も交通量の多いヒースローがこれでは、ロンドンのイメージダウンですよね。。。
毎日寒い日が続きますね～。でも、一時的には結構な雪でしたが、数十ｃｍも積もるとかではなく、十数ｃｍ程度でこの大騒ぎに私は少々疑問を感じました。ヒースローよりも毎年寒い地域の国際空港はこんな雪で閉鎖しないわけですし･･･。シカゴや新千歳空港、ロシアの空港だって･･･私はヒースローの現場担当者が雪対策を怠ったのではないか？と読んでいます（実際はどうか分かりませんが･･･）雪に慣れていない所では仕方のない事？なのかもしれませんが･･･。