The new year of 2026 began with a biting Arctic blast across Western Europe, delivering the snowy conditions many had wished for over Christmas but ultimately disrupting travel and transforming urban landscapes into rare winter wonderlands.
Travel Chaos as Temperatures Plummet
The freeze set in during the first week of January. Travellers, including the author departing from Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport, found themselves in the midst of suddenly heavy snowfall. Their UK-bound flight was delayed by 90 minutes for de-icing procedures, a minor inconvenience compared to the chaos that followed.
As temperatures dropped below -5 degrees Celsius at major hubs like CDG and Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, hundreds of flights were severely delayed or cancelled outright. The ripple effect was felt across the continent: snow ploughs worked overtime, schools closed their doors, and public transport networks scrapped their timetables.
A Rare Snowy Transformation for England's North
After a safe takeoff from Paris, the aerial view revealed a snow-dusted northern France and southern England. The sight of a major English city like Manchester under a consistent blanket of snow is a rarity. The urban heat effect, combined with generally low altitudes, means snow rarely settles for long in these metropolises.
Waking in Manchester to cloudless skies and pristine snowy scenery was a notable event. The city's architectural mosaic—from Georgian mills to Brutalist blocks and modern skyscrapers—was strikingly enhanced, with white powder cloaking rooftops, benches, and canals. Remnants of the Christmas markets, including a giant Santa, still stood, adding to the surreal scene.
Navigating the Freeze: From Icy Canals to Cosy Pubs
Exploring on foot required caution against treacherous black ice on the pavements. The city's canals, which had run dry during the record warm summer of 2025 before autumn rains replenished them, were now strewn with ice and snow, with Canada geese looking perfectly at home.
As the cold inevitably bit, Manchester offered ample refuge. The city boasts excellent free museums and galleries, and a plethora of inviting places to eat and drink. In a welcome January tradition, many establishments were offering "50 per cent off" deals to attract patrons feeling the post-Christmas pinch.
The deep freeze, while challenging, unveiled a different side of Europe. It was a reminder that even as Australians bask in summer heat, a freezing winter landscape possesses its own unique, if bracing, charms.
Fact File: To help plan a trip to Manchester and Britain, see visitmanchester.com and visitbritain.com.
