In Poland, around 3,500 households were left without electricity during the recent freeze, Piotr Blaszczyk, a spokesman for the government’s Security Center (RCB), said on Monday.

The last few days have been the coldest so far this winter, with temperatures reaching minus 28 degrees Celsius in several places by Monday morning, reports Hirado. Temperatures during the day ranged between minus 19 and minus 13 degrees.

The RCB spokesman also confirmed that three people had died from exposure in the past 24 hours, and 40 since the beginning of November. City governments have provided shelters and free buses, and police are checking abandoned buildings, stairwells, and other places to help people in need who are sheltering there.

Due to the severe frost, the Polish Meteorological Institute (IMGW) issued warnings for Tuesday and Wednesday on Monday afternoon. More than 300 schools in Poland have suspended classes or switched to distance learning.

The city governments of Gdansk and Sopot announced on Monday afternoon that they had set up a crisis team after a failure at the local thermal power plant, which they said could result in “heating disruptions and supply interruptions” in seven districts of Gdansk and the entire city of Sopot.

The failed unit of the thermal power plant should be back up and running on Wednesday.