Heavy snowfall closes roads in Spain, Portugal

MADRID – Heavy snow has hit northern Spain and Portugal while rains and winds have battered normally sunny resort areas.

Spain's meteorological agency said 35 of Spain's 51 provinces were on snow alert Tuesday. Badly hit was the northwestern region of Galicia, where several roads were cut off and schools forced to cancel classes.

Heavy snow also fell in neighboring regions of northeastern Portugal, closing roads and schools.

Torrential rains and gales have lashed much of Spain over the past two days, affecting normally sunny tourist destinations such as Tenerife in the Canary Islands and Malaga in southern Spain.

Spanish airport authority AENA said poor weather in northern Europe led to flight delays to and from Madrid.

In Scotland, snow and accumulating ice forced Edinburgh Airport to close briefly Monday night. Delays and closings also were reported at Luton Airport, north of London, and London City Airport in east London.

Driving was equally treacherous: heavy snow in North Yorkshire, North England, has resulted in at least one highway death.

Schools Tuesday morning were struggling to reopen after hundreds of campuses in North England and Scotland closed Monday morning.