The first week of 2026 arrived in frigid fashion in parts of northern and western Europe, thanks to an ongoing stretch of harsh winter weather bringing snowfall, ice, and high winds that continue to wreak havoc for thousands of travelers—most notably at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
Schiphol, one of Europe’s busiest airports, has seen more than 3,200 flight cancellations since January 2, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar. But AMS isn’t the only European hub hit by severe weather: Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and its smaller Orly airport (ORY) experienced a combined 140 cancellations on Wednesday, according to Reuters, while Brussels Airport issued an alert about delays.
Train travel and public transportation were also impacted across northern Europe, with delays and cancellations reported by train operator Eurostar and several regional transit networks. On January 7, the weather agencies of both the Netherlands and France issued orange alerts—their second-highest warnings on a three-tier scale.
Mass travel disruptions aside, visitors and locals took advantage of the chance to frolic in the snowy scenery—a rarity in cities like Paris and Amsterdam. In the City of Light, dozens of people gathered at Montmartre, where some showed off ski skills while others sledded down the snow-covered slopes of the hilly neighborhood.
Some ground crew at Schiphol, meanwhile, opted to build snowmen and chuck snowballs at one another against the backdrop of snow-covered planes and runways.
The first week of 2026 marks the most snow the Netherlands has seen since 2021—with so much blanketing the Dutch capital that it is visible from outer space.
Travelers flying to, through, or from Amsterdam have encountered a cascade of flight cancellations and delays due to the wintery weather woes.
Photo by Lisa Van Vliet/Unsplash
An “exceptional situation” at Schiphol
Schiphol spokesperson Stefan Donker described the weather-induced chaos at Schiphol as an “exceptional situation.” Donker told Reuters that airport staff set up a few hundred beds before and after security at the busy hub and also provided pillows, blankets, food, and drinks for hundreds of stranded travelers.
The weather woes—which are forecast to continue through the weekend—have led to Schiphol’s most challenging operational stint since 2022, when reduced staff and a postpandemic travel surge resulted in hours-long security lines and mountains of lost luggage. Reduced runway capacity and de-icing debacles, with the airport’s supplies of de-icing fluid at one point running low this week, also have contributed to flight backlogs, creating a domino effect across flight networks in Europe and beyond.
Dutch flag carrier KLM and several other airlines proactively canceled hundreds of both outbound and inbound flights this week. KLM even advised its passengers to avoid AMS if at all possible: “Please don’t come to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol,” stated one of two travel alerts on its homepage. (The other issued a temporary ban for unaccompanied minors “to prevent stranding and to protect the safety and well-being of minors traveling alone.”)
KLM also said in a statement that it is “doing everything possible” to assist passengers stranded at Schiphol. Those who need a hotel because of a canceled or delayed flight should “book one yourself and request reimbursement through our website,” KLM stated, noting that it will reimburse travelers up to 25 euros per person, per meal, and up to 50 euros per transfer to/from the airport, and for a “reasonable nightly rate” at a hotel.
The Dutch carrier and other major airlines, including partner airline Delta, are allowing passengers to rebook affected flights with no addde charge. In addition, KLM is temporarily suspending ticket sales and deploying larger aircraft to help alleviate the bottlenecks at AMS.
The situation at hard-hit Schiphol appears slightly improved for Thursday, January 8. KLM stated in an alert that the “relatively favorable” forecast of about 38 degrees Farenheit will allow the carrier to operate “nearly all” scheduled flights.
However, Dutch meteorological office KNMI has issued a code yellow weather warning for Thursday and Friday, with predictions of moderate daytime temperatures that may be accompanied by freezing rain, sleet, and snow, especially early Friday morning. Travel disruptions also could continue elsewhere across northern Europe; another weather system, Storm Goretti, is expected to bring freezing temperatures and windy conditions to much of the United Kingdom.
So far, the severe weather across the continent has contributed to at least six deaths in 2026.
