A “perfect storm” of heavy snow, ice, and travelers has largely shut down Britain’s airports, rail lines and roadways, The Times reported today. The paper reported this morning that motoring organizations were reporting the highest number of breakdowns in a decade; London traffic was practically at a standstill most of last night, as cars tried to navigate the icy streets; and some roads in the south, north and east were completely impassable.

Snow and ice severely disrupted travel in London and other parts of Britain last night. Photo credit: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie

Snow closed airports or delayed planes across the UK and Europe, leaving some passengers stranded on the tarmac for more than four hours, The Telegraph. Passengers on a RyanAir flight from Stansted Airport to France were left with nothing but ice cubes to drink while waiting hours for their plane to be cleared for takeoff, the paper reported this morning. British Airways canceled all domestic and European flights last night after 7 p.m., as Gatwick and Luton airports bowed to the weather and closed, The Telegraph reported.

The Daily Mail, however, questioned why Britain was caught off guard by heavy snow – again. Last February, much of London and the rest of the country was shut down when several inches of snow fell over night. This time around, the paper reports that thousands of drivers were trapped overnight in their cars and some were even forced to abandon their vehicles on the roadway, as councils failed to salt and grit roads adequately.

The rest of the week is expected to be much warmer, and rainy, according to the Met Office.

Snow. Photo credit: Linda Rodriguez McRobbie