Euro freeze zone Extreme frost blankets Europe PHOTOS

A slide taken by ice is pictured at the Paquis Baths in Geneva (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)

Thick ice and heavy snow have locked the entire European continent, already claiming the lives of nearly 500 people. And while Europeans are struggling to warm themselves, frigid temperatures are showing no signs of rising in coming weeks.

­Weather forecasts predict the cold snap, which started in late January, to continue until mid-February.

In some parts of Europe thermometers show temperatures lower than -39 Celsius. In the Czech Republic weather forecasters warned that night-time temperatures could reach as low as -40 Celsius in the mountains.