The extreme weather is disrupting the normal lives of the people in western Austria, after blanketing the region with up to 23 inches of snow. More snowfall is expected today, while the risk of avalanche remains fairly high. 　　Heavy snow continues to cause chaos in western Austria. Roads have been closed because of the threat of avalanches, and some villages and towns have been completely cut off.The Arlberg tunnel - which links Austria to Switzerland - was blocked after trees fell across the approach road. 　　People trying to get to Switzerland could only wait out the closure. Nikolas Zimmerman: "I have an appointment in Switzerland, which I am going to cancel now. And then I will see if I get through later, but for now let's wait and see. " For locals, the massive snowfall comes as a surprise. 　　Roswitha Jaeger: "You know that every winter is going to be different. Last year there was less snow and you got used to the situation. And this year it's something special - surprising also for us." Seventy to 120 centimetres of snow have fallen in the region since last Thursday. Meteorologists are expecting up to another metre of snow to fall in the area by Tuesday. (Travis Brecher/Reuters)