At least 12 people have been killed as deadly winter weather continues to pummel Europe.

Hundreds have been trapped in Alpine regions by heavy snow and high winds as conditions cause flight delays and increase the risk of more deadly avalanches in the mountains.

Attempts to find the bodies of four skiers in Norway were put on hold again due to poor visibility and heavy snowfall.

A 29-year-old Swedish woman and three Finns, aged 29, 32 and 36, were presumed dead after a 990ft wide avalanche hit a valley near the northern city of Tromso last week.

In Austria hundreds of residents were stuck in their homes due to blocked roads, and some regions experienced power outages after snow-laden trees took down power lines.

Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Show all 24 1 /24 Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany Workers clear snow from the tracks around a classic steam locomotive AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany German Army Soldiers clear roof of a grammar school from the snow in Berchtesgaden EPA Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A track vehicle of the German army provides food to a village near Berchtesgaden AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Czech Republic A man with a snow cutter cleans a road during a heavy snowfall in Velka Upa, Giant Mountains AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Austria Cars drive on the motorway near Kufstein AFP/Getty Images Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A snowplough train is seen during heavy snowfalls in Miesbach Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A car covered with snow in the Bavarian village of Kaufbeuren AFP/Getty Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A woman removes snow from a car in Berchtesgaden Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A car of German Automobile Club ADAC is seen after heavy snowfalls near Irschenberg Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A child climbing stairs next to a bicycle covered with snow in Ilmenau AFP/Getty Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Austria A sign is seen on a closed road after heavy snowfall near Obertauern Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany Cars jam on the motorway A8 between Salzburg and Munich after heavy snowfalls near Irschenberg Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A man and a bus make their way on a street in Berchtesgaden AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A truck sits on the Autobahn A8 after a crash near Bernau AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A road in a forest is cleaned from snow in Schongau AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A worker removes the snow next to a regional train at the train station in Berchtesgaden Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Greece Snow covers the statue of Alexander the Great at the seaside promenade of Thessaloniki Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Greece People take part in a snowball fight during snowfall, at the seaside promenade of Thessaloniki Reuters Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany Media people are covered with snow as they interview politicians during the winter meeting of the Christian Social Union in Seeon AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Austria Tourist cars queue on the main road out of a valley that was blocked after heavy snow falls in Vilzmoos AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Lithuania Wild ducks sit on the snow-covered banks of the Neris river in Vilnius AP Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany A snow-covered car is seen at a parking lot during heavy snowfall in Obertauern, Austria, 05 January 2019. Austria and southern Germany are expected to receive heavy snowfalls over the weekend. Weather forecasts warn that the snowstorm could cause roadblocks and increased avalanche danger in many parts of the affected region. EPA Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Germany German supporters wait ahead of the trainings and qualifiers of the fourth stage of the Four-Hills Ski Jumping tournament (Vierschanzentournee), in Bischofshofen, Austria on January 5, 2019. - The trainings and qualifiers have been cancelled dur to heavy snow falls. AFP/Getty Heavy snowfall blankets Europe – weather in pictures Switzerland Cars drive on a snow-covered road near the town of Taegerwilen Reuters

Schools in some regions remained closed for a second day and homeowners were advised to remove snow from their roofs after several buildings collapsed.

A 78-year-old man was severely injured when he fell off the roof of his home in Turrach while shovelling snow, Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported.

On Monday night 11 German hikers had to be rescued by mountaineers from a cabin near Salzburg after getting snowed in without electricity and with little food since Friday.

A skier walks past snow-covered trees after heavy snowfall in Flachau, Austria (Reuters)

Other people have also been killed by avalanches in Switzerland, Austria and Germany, and authorities warned continuing snowfall is increasing the already high risk of more avalanches.

In southern and eastern Germany people were bracing for more snow, while in the northern coastal city of Hamburg residents were preparing for a storm flood caused by a winter gale, the German news agency dpa reported.

Authorities warn the avalanche risk remains high in the northern Alps (Reuters) (REUTERSREUTERS/Emmanuel Foudrot)

In the Netherlands, Amsterdam’s busy Schiphol airport warned of delays and cancellations on Tuesday. Dutch carrier KLM cancelled 159 flights to and from European destinations.

Low-lying northwestern coastal regions were being hit by strong winds and wild seas, and local water authorities were checking dikes to make sure they were not damaged.

The Noorderzijlvest water authority said it was monitoring dikes because of debris floating in the sea after 281 shipping containers tumbled off a cargo ship in a storm last week. Many of the containers are still at sea and some have broken open, spilling their contents.

“A fridge or container that is rammed against a dike can cause damage,” the authority said.

Workers clear snow near Holzkirchen, Bavaria, after heavy snowfall over the weekend (EPA)

Heavy snowfall and strong winds were reported on Tuesday over central Scandinavia, hampering efforts to restore electricity that went down after a major storm swept through northern Europe on 2 January.

In Greece, schools in Athens and many surrounding areas remained closed after snow blanketed the capital, and temperatures in some parts of the Mediterranean nation plunged well below freezing. Some rural mountain roads were closed.

Dozens of refugees housed in tents in a camp in northern Greece protested about living conditions as temperatures sunk to minus 20C in some areas.