People walk through the snow covered alley of the Champ de Mars following heavy snowfall in Paris, on February 7, 2018 near the Eiffel tower. Exceptionally heavy snowfall brought public transport in Paris and surrounding regions to a near halt on February 7, spelling misery for commuters after hundreds were forced to abandon their cars to sleep in emergency shelters overnight. / AFP PHOTO / Thomas SAMSON (Photo credit should read THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images)
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Heavy snow blankets Paris
01:01 - Source: CNN
Paris CNN  — 

The Eiffel Tower was shuttered to tourists as heavy snowfall snarled traffic in Paris, bringing the City of Light to a standstill on Wednesday.

Photographs shared by the Eiffel Tower’s official Twitter account showed the French capital blanketed in white.

People pass by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel as they walk through the snow covered Tuileries garden.
People pass by the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel as they walk through the snow covered Tuileries garden.
GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images
Snow snarls traffic across the French capital.
Snow snarls traffic across the French capital.
GUILLAUME SOUVANT/AFP/Getty Images

The exceptional snowfall caused chaos on roadways across Paris, with a record 700km (430 miles) of traffic jams recorded on Tuesday evening, CNN affiliate BFM TV reported. Public transportation also was halted.

Authorities opened emergency shelters to accommodate stranded commuters, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, Frederic de Lanouvelle, said.

“The situation is complicated, it’s even quite exceptional,” de Lanouvelle said on national radio France Info.

“We’re asking drivers not to use their cars this morning.”

A volunteer worker talks with a homeless woman in Issy les Moulineaux, west of Paris, on Tuesday.
A volunteer worker talks with a homeless woman in Issy les Moulineaux, west of Paris, on Tuesday.
Thibault Camus/AP
People stranded by the snow rest in an emergency shelter installed at the Robert Wagner gymnasium in Velizy-Villacoublay, southwestern suburbs of Paris.
People stranded by the snow rest in an emergency shelter installed at the Robert Wagner gymnasium in Velizy-Villacoublay, southwestern suburbs of Paris.
SAMUEL BOIVIN/AFP/Getty Images

De Lanouvelle said 46 emergency shelters were opened to homeless people and others caught out in the winter weather on Tuesday night, housing about 1,000 people. Hundreds were sheltered at train stations and airports.

Some 2,500 emergency services staff were deployed to restore order as quickly as possible, De Lanouvelle added.

But some Parisians braved the snow, with at least a few skiers and snowboarders taking to one of the slopes in the city – Montmartre hill near Paris’ iconic church, the Sacre Coeur. Others shared photos of the wintry scenes on social media with the hashtag #ParisSousLaNeige, Paris under snow.

A man skiing on the snow-covered Montmartre hill.
A man skiing on the snow-covered Montmartre hill.
ALAIN JOCARD/AFP/Getty Images
Children play in the snow in the Palais Royal garden on Wednesday.
Children play in the snow in the Palais Royal garden on Wednesday.
GERARD JULIEN/AFP/Getty Images

According to the Meteo France weather service, up to 5.9 inches of snow has fallen in the Paris area so far – the biggest snowfall since 1987.

The greater Paris region is among 27 departments that have been placed under alert across the country, according to Meteo France.