First snowfall brings nation-wide calamities

The first major snowfall of the winter has begun forcefully with an abrupt blizzard across the country, wreaking havoc for transport and power networks, particularly in the north and east. More than half a metre of snow fell in some mountainous regions between Wednesday and Thursday, and hurricane-level winds of 140 km/h were reported in the northern Krkonoš Mts, where authorities have issued an avalanche warning. The energy company ČEZ upped the number of homes without power from 30,000 to 70,000 in the course of Thursday due to felled power lines and declared calamities in eight regions. A state of emergency was declared in the Moravian areas of Vsetín and Jeseník, where a heat plant supplying thousands of homes was down due to the blackouts. Fallen trees have also closed roads throughout the country and trains are delayed in places by up to two hours.