by Paul Simons

Europe was in the grip of a brutal freeze this week. Huge snowfalls on Wednesday caused widespread travel disruption and were blamed for at least 12 deaths across Europe. While England shivered in temperatures dropping to minus 12C (10F), Berlin froze in minus 21C (-6F) and Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, recorded minus 23C (-9F). This outbreak of intense cold was blamed on a large high-pressure system, stretching from the UK to southern Russia, that dragged down cold Siberian air.

Ice skaters were out on frozen canals in the Netherlands, icebreakers had to clear Rotterdam port, and a rare snowfall on Thursday in southern France left Marseilles with 29cm (11.4in) of snow while Milan was swamped under snow 30cm (12in) deep. But the skiing in the Alps is superb, with cold conditions and fresh snowfalls leaving pistes in great shape.

At the other extreme, heat waves have struck Australia with temperatures soaring above 40C (104F) and a state of emergency declared near Sydney as wildfires took hold. In New Zealand, Christchurch nearly broke its highest temperature record of 35.9C (96.6F) on Thursday.

The rainy season across the Far East has left the Philippines deluged since Tuesday, setting off floods and landslides affecting 46,000 people.

South America is also experiencing a severe wet season, with heavy downpours lashing Peru and Brazil. But weeks of heavy rainfalls in Brazil’s southeastern region has benefited the coffee plantations, which are enjoying a bumper crop.