BERLIN - Germany is shivering during the weekend in the lowest temperatures this winter, with authorities saying there are no warmer temperatures in the coming days.

Berlin is experiencing the coldest conditions seen this winter, with flurries of snow and a temperature of minus 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday, as the cold snap that has swept across Europe continues to cause deaths and traffic disruption. However, warmer temperatures are unlikely in the coming days, according to the German Weather Service.

Pigeons sit on top of a frozen fountain in Munich Feb 5, 2012. Snow and temperatures close to -14 degrees Celsius (7 degrees Fahrenheit) have hit parts of southern Germany in the last few days. German met office DWD expects the icy high pressure front from northern Russia to last well into next week. [Photo/Agencies]

During the past week, several deaths caused by the cold spell have been reported in Germany, including a homeless man in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt who was found dead on Thursday and an elderly woman in the neighboring state of Lower Saxony that died on Wednesday. A Dutch national went missing after falling through the ice while skating on a lake Friday in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia.

The rigid weather also hampered water transport in Germany in recent days, as authorities cancelled ferry service on the Elbe River in northern Germany.

The death toll from the frigid temperatures and snowfall across Europe has risen to more than 260, local media reported, as the severe cold continues to freeze the continent.