Freezing temperatures have gripped North America and Europe, with some people dying.

North America and some European countries are experiencing the most severe cold spell in decades. Several people have died from the cold.

Extremely low temperatures and heavy snowfall have claimed several lives here and forced the cancellation of a long list of New Year's celebrations.

Although Canadians are accustomed to the cold, temperatures plummeting below 0°C in many areas have led to the cancellation of numerous New Year's celebrations due to safety concerns in the extreme weather conditions at the end of the year.

Heavy snowfall in North America. Photo: AP.

In the central Canadian cities of Regina and Winnipeg, temperatures have dropped to minus 50 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, in the capital Ottawa, authorities announced the postponement of several events marking the end of the year celebrating the country's 150th anniversary.

The Canadian Ministry of Culture announced that events scheduled for December 30th and the night of December 31st have been adjusted to accommodate extreme cold weather warnings and public health and safety concerns. Most concerts on the night of December 31st have been cancelled; however, the New Year's Eve fireworks display will proceed as planned. The Canada 150 ice hockey tournament, originally scheduled to be held outside Parliament House, has also been moved indoors.

Not only cultural events were affected, but even popular recreational areas frequented by Canadians during holidays had to adjust their opening hours. The Bromon ski resort in Quebec had to close at 3:30 p.m. (local time) on December 29th due to potentially hazardous weather conditions and at the request of the Quebec Hydroelectric Power Plant to reduce energy demand during peak season.

This resort will reopen on December 30th, but only a few slopes will be allowed to operate. Another ski resort, Mont Orford in East Montreal, has also had to restrict its operating hours for the same reason.

Weather Forecast Canada continues to maintain an extreme cold weather warning in six of the country's ten provinces.

Meanwhile, the United States is experiencing its coldest weather in decades. Extremely low temperatures and heavy snowfall have claimed several lives and led to a long list of New Year's celebrations being canceled. The Midwest and East Coast of the U.S. are facing significant problems due to the weather. Not only that, there have been several deaths from the cold, and New Year's festivities have been less vibrant.

The frigid air from the Arctic freezes waterfalls, shatters windows, and threatens the lives of people even if they only go outside for 30 minutes. Weather forecasters warn that people going outdoors should wear multiple layers of clothing to protect against hypothermia and frostbite that can occur from exposure to the Arctic cold.

Many New Year's Eve plans are being reconsidered. Towns in New Jersey have canceled traditional beach events in the far North Atlantic, and organizers have reduced the number of New Year's lights in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Several entertainment and fireworks displays have also been canceled in various parts of the United States.

Meanwhile in the UK, on ​​December 29th, Glasgow Airport was forced to suspend operations for several hours due to heavy snowfall. Many flights were diverted to Edinburgh Airport, causing inconvenience to passengers.

According to the UK Weather Forecast Agency, by late afternoon on December 29th (Vietnam time), a 10cm layer of snow had covered a train station near Glasgow Airport in just two hours, causing numerous flight cancellations and making it one of the areas with the heaviest snowfall of the day in England.

One passenger stranded at the airport said: “We’ve been waiting for three hours since my flight was cancelled, but nobody has told us when we can fly again. The situation is terrible. I’m trying to book another flight, but it might get even worse; it could take another 10 hours to get a new flight.”

Earlier, due to the snowfall, many flights at Stansted and Luton airports near London were canceled or delayed. Heavy snow also caused power outages for nearly 40,000 households in the UK. British authorities warned residents in cold regions to stock up on fuel, warm clothing, blankets, food, and water, and to carefully consider the risks of leaving their homes in such bad weather.

According to VOV