A woman with a dog walks through a snow covered street in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. MMeteorologists predict sub zero temperatures in Serbia throughout the coming week. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
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WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Extreme cold has hit large parts of Europe, with freezing temperatures cracking railroad tracks in Poland, snow blanketing the Turkish city of Istanbul and smog spiking as coal was being burned to generate heat.
Temperatures dropped to minus 28 degrees Celsius (minus 18 Fahrenheit) in some Polish areas overnight, the coldest night in 11 years. Many trains were delayed on Monday after rail tracks at two Warsaw railway stations cracked.
Hand-in-hand with the cold came a spike in smog in Warsaw and other parts of Poland, as the cold prompted an increase in burning coal for heat. The smog levels were so high in Warsaw that city officials urged people to remain indoors.
Just across Poland's southwestern border, the Czech Republic experienced the coldest night this year with temperatures dropping below minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) in many places.
The lowest temperature, of minus 27 degrees Celsius (minus 16 Fahrenheit), was recorded Monday in Orlicke Zahori, a mountainous village 160 kilometers (100 miles) east of Prague and near the Polish border, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.
The freezing weather was expected to ease and be replaced by heavy snowfall in the northeastern Czech Republic, the institute said.
In Istanbul, traffic was brought to a halt by the layer of snow covering the city, with cars stalled or skidding on the roads. The flurries were to continue throughout the day.
In Germany, fresh snow, slippery roads and fallen trees led to several car accidents on Sunday and overnight, the dpa news agency reported. A driver died in southwestern Germany after his car shot over a mound of snow.
The Nordic region - where winter weather is the norm - also saw snow and subfreezing temperatures, with the coldest temperatures predictably recorded in the Arctic. Norway's meteorological institute tweeted a tongue-in-cheek message on Monday, saying: 'œwe encourage all knitting lovers to send woolen clothes to their friends in the north.'ť
A man shovels his car free of snow after days of snowfall in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, southern Germany, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. (Angelika Warmuth/dpa via AP)
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People wearing a face mask to protect against coronavirus walk through a snow covered street in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Meteorologists predict sub zero temperatures in Serbia throughout the coming week. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
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Well attended are the toboggan slopes at Torfhaus, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Many visitors came to the Harz to enjoy the winter weather, even when the corona rules demand social distancing. (Matthias Bein/dpa via AP)
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A roe deer moves across a snowy village road, as temperatures dipped to minus 21 degrees Celsius (minus 5.8 degrees Fahrenheit) near the town of Ignalina, some 120km (74,5 miles) north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Mindaugas Kulbis)
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A woman walks through a snow covered street in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Meteorologists predict sub zero temperatures in Serbia throughout the coming week. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
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A couple walk along a snow covered path in Belgrade, Serbia, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Meteorologists predict sub zero temperatures in Serbia throughout the coming week. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
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Deeply covered with snow are the trees at the Grenzadler in Oberhof, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. Two World Cups are taking place in the town on the Rennsteig this weekend. In front of empty crowds, the best lugers and biathletes compete for World Cup points. (Martin Schutt/dpa via AP)
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Freshly fallen snow covers the Roemerberg square in Frankfurt, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
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A car drives over the country road 497 between Silberborn and Holzminden, Germany, Sunday, Jan. 17, 2021. In the district of Holzminden, the largest and most frequented toboggan slopes are closed due to the Corona pandemic. (Swen Pfoertner/dpa via AP)
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