"Nearly half the victims were homeless people, more and more of whom die of the cold every year in Poland," police spokeswoman Graznya Puchalska told AFP, adding that most were men between the ages of 35 and 50 and under the influence of alcohol.
Heavy snowfall disrupted traffic in the south of the country where even the main roads could not be plowed, as more snow was forecast through Saturday morning.
In Britain, which has reported the coldest December in a decade, a man in his 40s was found frozen to death on the steps of the town hall in West Bromwich, central England.
Freezing temperatures claimed their second victim in Italy when a 22-year-old homeless man froze to death on a platform of Rome's main train station, while the Tuscan city of Florence woke up for the first time in 21 years under a blanket of snow.
Authorities declared a state of emergency in Campania, the region surrounding Naples, due to heavy snow and rain fall, while rail travel to and from the capital and flights at Rome's Ciampino airport faced major delays and seven scheduled flights from Florence were cancelled.
In Croatia, a 91-year-old woman was found dead of hypothermia in front of her home, near the southern town of Sadar where temperatures dippped to minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). The capital Zagreb shovelled out from under 30 centimeters (12 inches) of snow while more than two meters (seven feet) fell in the mountains.
Switzerland logged its coldest winter temperature so far this season as the mercury dropped to minus 35 degrees Celsius, the national weather agency MeteoSuisse said.
The seasonal record temperature was recorded overnight in the western community of La Brevine, which is nicknamed "Switzerland's Siberia" for its icy winter climate.
Turkey saw temperature extremes, with minus 34 degrees Celsius reported overnight in the city of Agri and nearly 500 villages cut off by snow, while the western city of Manisa on the Aegean recorded a spring-like 18 degrees Celsius.
In Spain, slick conditions forced the closure of four mountain passes in the northern areas of Cantabria and Navarra, while tire chains were recommended for other routes.
Belgian authorities issued a "code red" warning to drivers due to potentially hazardous road conditions from freezing rain. New snow was forecast Friday for the eastern city of Liege and the Ardennes region.
In the Czech Republic, several roads were closed due to snow and ice, including the route linking the country's third city of Ostrava, population 315,000, with Opava, a city of 60,000.
In France, most of the country was battered by snow and freezing rain. Heavy trucks were banned from main routes in the west of the country while motorists in Paris were asked to avoid the roads. The cold has led to the deaths of two people in recent days.
Romania, which saw unexpectedly mild temperatures, issued a flood warning for the south of the country where heavy rains were forecast over the weekend.