A rare ice storm has crippled parts of central Europe, bring down power lines, disrupting train services and turning trees into abstract ice sculptures.
A sign for the northern Austrian village of Schneeberg, which translates as Snow Mountain, is covered with iceHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersA bench covered in ice is pictured on Buda Hills in Budapest. Tens of thousand of homes on the outskirts of the Hungarian capital were without electricity as freezing rain blanketed the area and falling trees cut power linesBernadett Szabo/ReutersFlowers on the outskirts of Budapest are covered in thick iceBernadett Szabo/ReutersAn ice-covered road sign is pictured near Amstall in northern AustriaHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersA tree is turned into an abstract ice sculpture near Amstall in northern AustriaHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersHeavy ice drags a branch down over a roadside shrine near Kottes in northern AustriaHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersIce coats the tips of branches near Amstall in northern AustriaHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersA forester looks at ice-covered trees near KottesHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersA roadside shrine is covered with ice near Reichpolds in northern AustriaHeinz-Peter Bader/Reuters
Electric trains and tram transport across the Czech Republic were badly disrupted when ice formed on overhead lines as temperatures dropped following rain. Czech Railways says the entire country has been hit, including the major line that links Prague with the eastern part of the country.
In Austria and southern Germany, firefighters have been busy clearing hundreds of trees weighed down with a thick layer of ice.
A combination of high humidity and low temperatures caused fog to freeze when it came into contact with trees and power lines.
Ice-covered trees and plants are pictured on the Taubenberg mountain near Warngau, southern GermanyMichael Dalder/ReutersA forester cuts ice-coated branches off treesHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersIce forms patterns on plants near Warngau in southern GermanyMichael Dalder/ReutersLeaves coated with a layer of ice are pictured on a tree near AmstallHeinz-Peter Bader/ReutersA smiley face is drawn in snow covering a stopping restriction sign on the Grosser Feldberg mountain in the Taunus region of western GermanyFrank Rumpenhorst/AFP
