Severe winter weather that is gripping central and eastern Europe has raised concerns about heating gas supplies in eight nations.

A spokeswoman for the European Union energy commissioner confirmed on Friday that there has been a decrease in gas deliveries across central Europe from Italy to Poland. Also affected are Austria, Greece, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

Russia's gas export monopoly Gazprom announced on Thursday that it was increasing shipments through Ukrainian pipelines. But there were fears of a repeat of the 2009 gas crisis, when a political feud between Moscow and Kyiv led to a two-week shut-off of those shipments.

The recent week-long cold wave, with temperatures plunging as low as minus 32 degrees Celsius, has claimed hundreds of lives and snow has stranded travelers across the continent with roads blocked, airplanes grounded, and trains unable to move.

The heavy snow that is falling on Italy forced authorities in Rome to close the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. The Italian capital last saw substantial snow a quarter-century ago.

The snow is forecast to intensify before easing on Saturday.

Meteorologists blame the weather on a strong high pressure system that has pushed cold Siberian air across the continent.

Until this week, Europeans had been enjoying an unusually mild winter with spring-like temperatures in many cities.