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Office buildings in the French capital
-- like those in Brussels, the European Union's capital -- were only partly full. The French train network SNCF urged commuters in the Paris region to stay home Tuesday instead of trying to reach downtown "because of the unfavorable evolution of weather conditions." In southeastern England, snow and ice stranded hundreds of motorists as temperatures plunged as low as minus 3 Celsius (27 Fahrenheit), and many motorists abandoned their cars. Traffic backed up for 30 miles (50 kilometers) in some areas, with reports of people being stranded for 10 hours or more. Among those stuck were a group of 120 German students who had to stay overnight in the town hall at Hastings on the south coast of England when families set to pick them up could not reach them. Police in Sussex reported responding to more than 300 auto collisions in 24 hours because of slippery roads but no serious injuries were reported. Belgium had a record 1,600 kilometers (995 miles) of traffic jams during morning rush hour as snowdrifts turned roads slippery and reduced vision. A strong wind made conditions even tougher. Thousands of commuters were left stranded on snowed-in platforms after many trains around the region were canceled. Snow affected even the workings of government and the royal palace: The start of budgetary negotiations within Belgium's governing coalition was delayed, and Prince Lorenz was unable to travel to Maastricht, the Netherlands, to visit a historical exhibition. The U.S. Embassy in Brussels closed for the day ''due to the continued weather conditions." Under the Eiffel Tower, two Canadian tourists were among those braving the soggy chill. "It's cold. Really cold," Heidi Nelson of Toronto said. A fellow visitor from Toronto, Laura Martin, added: "Yes, kind of like Canada."
[Associated
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