Heavy snow early Wednesday in central Europe cut highways and snarled airports, leading to 200 flight cancellations at Munich Airport alone as snow ploughs struggled to keep up with new falls. A Czech police spokesman called the snowstorm "the worst so far this winter" after it dumped up to 35 centimeters of fresh snow on the country. There had been a rash of collisions on slippery roads but no serious injuries, he said. Vehicles needed wheel-chains in much of the Czech Republic, he warned. Prague International Airport was closed for several hours by snowdrifts and poor visibility but later re-opened. At Munich International, airport officials said they were clearing the two runways in alternation, which cut landing capacity and forced the diversion of some incoming flights to nearby Nuremberg. Most cancellations were because foreign airports were closed by the snow. In eastern Austria, emergency crews were busy shifting trucks that had been unable to gain traction on hills. Austrian officials said the avalanche danger in the Alps had increased because of the new snow.
