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Germany under ice Queen’s spell

Germany’s roads and footpaths will remain treacherously slippery for some days to come, with freezing temperatures and some snow set to preserve a sheet of ice on the ground, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported Sunday.

Published: 7 February 2010 14:11 CET

Germany under ice Queen's spell

Photo: DPA

Low pressure system “Queen” is set to bring some snow early in the week, the DWD said. Maximum temperatures on Monday will likely range between -5 degrees and zero degrees, but fall as low as -7 degrees in eastern parts of the country.

Only along the Rhine and its tributaries will the temperature crawl just above freezing.

Click here for photos of winter’s icy grip on Germany.

Overnight fog and clouds will give way to clearer skies and largely dry conditions with temperatures falling as low as -15 degrees in the east.

On Tuesday the southwest will see more snow, along with central and western regions of Germany too. Otherwise conditions will remain changeable, particularly in the east and north of the country.

Wednesday will see the heaviest cloud cover, with top temperatures between -6 degrees and -1 degrees.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Severe weather is expected in the southwest of the country on Friday, with the heaviest rain expected in Saarbrücken, as well as the surrounding areas of Saarland and southern Rhineland-Palatinate.

In these areas Germany’s weather service (DWD) has level 4 warnings in place – meaning that the rain is expected to be extremely heavy (more than 40 litres per square metre in an hour, or 60 litres per square metre in 6 hours).

Slightly less severe, but still heavy continuous rain can also be expected in the surrounding regions, extending as far as Stuttgart and Mainz.

Speaking to Bild newspaper, Climatologist Dr. Karsten Brandt suggested that the heavy precipitation and thunderstorms will continue to move northwest, even into southern North-Rhine Westphalia (Aachen).

There are also wind warnings in parts of the country, with squalls expected on the Brocken and the Fichtelberg mountains, as well as in the Black Forest and in the Alps.

Currently, the highest wind warnings are in Dresden and southern Bavaria near the Alps.

Friday’s weather warnings come in the wake of chaotic weather that flooded Nuremberg and parts of Bavaria Thursday night, where many roads flooded. Cars were submerged in water and bus routes were cancelled.

A number of household cellars also flooded as well as a large underground car park at the Technical University.

READ ALSO: Record heat deaths and floods – How Germany is being hit by climate change

What will the weekend bring?

Beyond the area of severe weather warnings but not beyond the reach of the storm, Cologne will have some rain on Friday which may continue on through the weekend.

Germany’s northern and eastern regions have dodged the recent bout of storms so far, but in Berlin scattered thunderstorms can be expected to move in by Sunday afternoon. This may put a dampener on the Karneval der Kulturen parade.

In Bremen and Hamburg, residents can expect some rain showers on Sunday and Monday, with a chance of thunderstorms as well.

In Munich and Nuremberg, it looks as if the worst is over. Some small showers may continue into Saturday, but Bavarian residents can look forward to a sunny Sunday ahead of the public holiday on Monday for Pentecost.

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