Heavy snowfalls pounded northeastern Spain on Monday, knocking out power, canceling flights and forcing the closure of schools in Barcelona and the surrounding area, officials said.
Accumulations of up to 50 centimetres (20 inches) of snow were forecast for the worst affected areas of Catalonia, prompting the regional government to cancel classes for over 142,000 students at 476 public schools.
Power was lost in homes throughout the region, with energy company Fecsa-Endesa reporting 10,000 clients were without electricity while traffic on over 60 area roads was either prohibited or restricted.
Spain's border with France at La Jonquera was closed because of the snow, leaving some 3,000 trucks stranded, public radio RNE reported.
Bus service in Barcelona was suspended just before the evening rush hour and commuters were encouraged to use the Mediterranean port city's metro system instead.
While Barcelona's El Prat airport was operating normally six flights out of the airport in nearby Girona were cancelled and several more were delayed because of the snowfall which was accompanied by strong winds.
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