Eiffel Tower closed for 3rd straight day due to snow

— -- For the third consecutive day, tourists in the French capital can't visit the famed Eiffel Tower, which has been closed since Tuesday as heavy snowfall blanketed the region.

"Because of the snowfalls, cold temperatures and icy conditions, the Eiffel Tower remains closed this morning," a spokesperson for the The Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, which runs the Paris landmark, told ABC News. "We hope to reopen this afternoon."

The Eiffel Tower closes from time to time because of strong wind gusts, but it's rarely shut down for three days in a row. During last month's flooding in Paris, the monument remained opened.

Snow swept across the region on Tuesday night, disrupting railway systems and creating traffic jams. Hundreds of people were forced to abandon their cars and sleep in emergency shelters, according to Paris police.

About 5 inches of snow fell in Paris and its suburbs on Tuesday, according to Meteo France, the nation's official weather service. More snow is expected on Friday.

The situation for commuters has improved on railways and on the roads, according to authorities, but conditions are likely to remain dangerous Thursday because of cold temperatures turning the snow into ice.