In Pictures

Is it autumn yet in Europe?

Dramatic sunsets are more likely when the sun is low in the sky. The Houses of Parliament stand in stark relief, in London, UK. [Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters]

Soon after the autumn equinox, colder air plunged into central and eastern Europe. The first snow fell in the Tatra mountains, the Alps and the Tyrol. The heatwave was swept out of southeast Europe – it looked like the arrival of autumn.

Northern Europe has been an often windy place since, and the temperatures have varied wildly. But one element that brings in colour has been rare. Frost is a necessary component in turning leaves into golden hues that prove the change of season.

Indeed, much of Europe is even now seeing a resurgence of heat, removing any likelihood of night-time frost. As a result, many trees have still to realise that they should no longer be green.

The colour is just starting to show in the vineyards in Ludwigsburg, southwestern Germany. [Thomas Kienzle/AFP]

Vincennes Woods - Bois de Vincennes - in Paris — An avenue showing the early leaf drop in the Bois de Vincennes, Paris, France.[Christophe Simon/AFP]

Nice, France — The weather remains nice throughout October on the French Riviera, near the city of Nice. [Valery Hache/AFP]

Now, there's some autumn colour in the central town park in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. [Dado Ruvic/Reuters]

The snowline is high but this is the fresh snow of early autumn in Gnadenwald, Austria. [Dominic Ebenbichler/Reuters]

A sudden descent into early winter, despite it being October, in the Tatra Mountains around Zakopane, Poland. [Grzegorz Momot/EPA]

A valley of clear air is carved out by a passenger jet as it swirls the fog outside Zurich Airport, Switzerland. [Christian Merz /EPA-EFE]