Eastern Europe Braces for Freezing Weather Until Early February

Unusually cold conditions are forecast to linger across northeastern and central Europe through early February, boosting heating demand and testing volatile gas markets. A wave of frigid Siberian air is set to push in this week, with average temperatures in Estonia dropping to -12C (10.4F), roughly 9C below the long-term norm, according to weather models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and data from AG2. Hungary and Poland could average -7C and -6C, respectively, about 6C below normal.