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LISBON - Dozens of trucks were blocked Thursday by heavy snow along the Portuguese-Spanish border as a cold snap engulfed much of Europe.

The trucks that were stranded were heading to northern Spain or central Europe, said Antonio Almeida, head of the Portuguese gendarmerie. He said Portuguese authorities were only allowing through trucks travelling to Salamanca, Madrid or southern Spain.

A Portuguese weather service official said the freezing temperatures recorded this week only occur once every 10 years. The southeast Portuguese town of Sintra even set a record on Thursday with temperatures dropping to -1.5 degrees Celsius.