MADRID ground to a standstill on Wednesday morning as heavy snowfall blanketed the city, prompting Spain’s state weather agency to place the capital under a yellow alert.
Businesses across the city remained closed as the local council activated its weather emergency plan, urging residents to remain indoors.
Snowploughs and gritters cleared the way for hundreds of motorists who found themselves stuck in long queues along snow-covered roads and motorways.
It came as Storm Kristin tore through the country in the early hours of Wednesday, forcing road closures and triggering power cuts from Andalucia to Galicia.
Snow in Madrid began falling around midnight at altitudes above 600 metres, with the first flakes reaching the city itself at about 8am, according to AEMET.
The agency forecast accumulations of up to 15cm in the mountains surrounding Madrid, with snowfall expected to ease around midday.
Temperatures dropped to a chilly -1C early in the morning but are forecast to climb to 11C later in the afternoon.
AEMET has also issued a city-wide weather alert for strong winds, with gusts set to batter the southwest of the capital until 7pm.
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