Meteorologists are predicting that the severe cold spell currently affecting Europe could continue until the end of the month, potentially causing more deaths and driving up gas prices. Leon Brown from The Weather Channel in Britain stated that while there may be a slight change in weather by mid-February, it is unlikely to bring milder conditions. The cold weather and heavy snowfall have already resulted in numerous fatalities across Europe, with temperatures dropping to nearly minus 40 degrees Celsius in some eastern countries. Over 130 villages in Bulgaria were still without power on Wednesday, and the army was providing food and medicine, according to the Defence Ministry. The country declared a day of mourning for eight individuals who lost their lives due to a dam bursting after snow melt caused flooding in a village. Two people are still unaccounted for. The European Union's crisis response chief, Kristalina Georgieva, warned that the worst of the flooding is still to come. In Bosnia, authorities confirmed five more deaths due to cold and snow on Wednesday, bringing the total to 13. In Serbia, authorities have advised residents to remove icicles from roofs following a fatal incident in Belgrade. The country is facing challenges due to heavy snowfall, with 13 deaths reported and 70,000 people stranded. Energy production has been affected, with hydro-power plants and coal trains struggling to operate. In Croatia, high winds have resulted in fish being deposited from the Adriatic sea onto the island of Pag. The cold weather, caused by polar air from northern Russia and high pressure, has prolonged the sub-zero temperatures across Europe for the past 10 days. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) officials in Geneva this week suggested that cold temperatures could persist throughout February. Omar Baddour, who oversees the WMO's climate data monitoring program, mentioned the possibility of the pressure system easing up next week but also indicated that it could continue until the month's end. The "negative Arctic oscillation", which is causing the freezing weather due to a pressure difference between Europe and the Arctic, is expected to take a few weeks to return to normal, potentially delaying an early thaw. Even though high-pressure systems are not uncommon, the sudden drop in temperatures after a period of mild weather has surprised experts. Brown described the situation as unique and somewhat perplexing in terms of how this winter has unfolded. "It is unusual for a persistent block to develop so suddenly toward the end of January and February. According to Georg Mueller, a forecaster at Point Carbon, this cold spell is the strongest in the month of February in 26 years. The last similarly severe cold weather occurred in 1986. The sheer size of the current Siberian blocking pattern has made it challenging to predict its movement, as it seems to be influencing the way the winds behave rather than the other way around." Brown said that they were surprised by how long the cold block persisted and then shifted westward. According to him, computer models are struggling to predict when the system will move out of Europe. The cold weather has caused British gas prices to soar to their highest levels in over a decade, exceeding 100 pence per therm on Tuesday, a jump of more than 15 percent. Russia reduced gas exports to Europe last week due to record demand, leading countries like Italy to boost imports from Algeria and tap into stored gas reserves. If the cold weather continues and domestic demand rises, Russia may need to decrease its gas exports to Europe once again.