But the good news, the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Friday, is that temperatures are set to climb in the next few days.

The DWD said that parts of the Black Forest at elevations as low as 800 metres saw about four centimetres of snow overnight. Parts of the Sauerland in North Rhine-Westphalia also saw snow, with two centimetres recorded at the Kahler Asten and in Lüdenscheid.

However, loath though the many Germans turning their heaters on for the first time in weeks may be to hear it, snow falls in early May are actually nothing out of the ordinary, the DWD said. It happens every three or four years.

But the weekend would be somewhat warmer, particularly in the middle and north of the country, where conditions would be drier than the past couple of days though still with cloud and some showers, the DWD predicted.

On Saturday, warmer air from the north would bring maximum temperatures of about 13 degrees Celsius to the north of the country, with most of the rest of the land seeing highs of between 12 and 16 degrees, reaching 18 in the south west. Though there would still be some rain in the north, conditions would be generally drier across the country with even some sunshine.

On Sunday, high temperatures in the north would range from 10 to 15 degrees, while the middle of the country and the south would see 15 to 19 degrees. In the afternoon, the south and centre of Germany were likely to see rain showers. There would be isolated showers in the north, while coastal regions would remain mostly dry.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.