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WEATHER

Winter’s weekend return to banish balmy temps

Germany might have had a balmy start to the new year, but winter is set to make a comeback this weekend with sinking temperatures and light snow, according to the DWD national weather service.

Winter's weekend return to banish balmy temps
Photo: DPA

With cloudy skies and temperatures reaching seven degrees Celsius in the Upper Rhine region, Thursday should see the last of the unusually warm weather. But hilly regions should show signs of winter, as a light frost may develop.

As Thursday night gets underway, rain or sleet is forecast to fall across parts of the south and almost all of Germany’s eastern states. Everywhere else should remain dry with a scattering of clouds and temperatures with lows of minus three in the north east and three degrees in the southeast.

“We are as far from being hit with Siberian temperatures as we are from being hit by snow chaos,” meteorologist Martin Jonas from the DWD said on Thursday. But he added that, “the weather will be more ‘normal’ for January.”

Friday may see the first snow proper snow flurries of 2013 towards the Baltic coast. Elsewhere will likely just be wet though, as temperatures of between one and five degrees Celsius mean that it may be slightly too warm to snow.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast

But the DWD said temperatures would drop sharply come Friday night, as thermometers plummet to between minus one and minus six degrees. In areas unlucky enough not to have a warming blanket of clouds, it could be even colder.

People in Germany’s southern states on Saturday should find themselves waking up to very heavy cloud cover, which may even produce a few snowflakes through the course of the day. In the north it should be sunnier and in the east, snowy. Highs will be a chilly minus three in the east and one degrees in the south west.

Saturday night should continue in the same vain of half-hearted, intermittent snow and sub-zero temperatures. The north west is set for a particularly brisk night, with lows of -10 degrees Celsius possible.

For the parts of the north west, the cold night should give way to a clear, crisp Sunday. Lower areas of the south may be plagued with rain while higher areas treated to snow. Apart from a few warm pockets in the southwest, most of country should remain between minus three and zero degrees.

Heading into next week, Sunday night in southern Germany will likely still be in limbo between rain and snow and temperatures of around minus one degrees. The north should stay clear where temperatures could hit minus seven degrees.

The Local/jcw

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BERLIN

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Farmers in Germany launched fresh protests in Berlin on Friday to call for the government to support agriculture, resulting in disruption across the city.

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Berlin police said there were “considerable traffic disruptions” across the city and the outskirts and especially around Straße des 17. Juni, the government district and the Bundesrat .

Since Thursday morning, Straße des 17. Juni and other streets around the government district in Berlin-Tiergarten have been closed. There will also be closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz through Friday.

A planned rally is due to take place from 12 noon to 5pm on Friday with tractors and lorries around Platz des 18. März, near Brandenburg Gate. 

The action is being held to protest the government’s agricultural policies.

It comes as relief measures – including reduced bureaucracy and tax relief for farmers – went to the Bundesrat on Friday to be voted on as part of the Growth Opportunities Act.

However, farmers are still pushing for their original demand of fully keeping the agricultural diesel subsidy.

READ ALSO: Analysis: Why are German farmers so angry?

Farmers in Germany have been staging similar protests against the policies of the government since the start of the year.

Where are protests taking place?

Here’s a look at the routes farmers are expected to take in Friday into Berlin where disruption will occur:

Frohnau: From the state border via B96 Berliner Straße, Roedernallee, Lindauer Allee, Residenzstraße, Markstraße, Schulstraße, Luxemburger Straße, Föhrer Straße, An der Putlitzbrücke, Stromstraße, Lessingstraße, Altonaer Straße and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Lichtenrade: From the state border via the B96 Kirchhainer Damm to Tempelhofer Damm and then via Mehringdamm, Hallesches Ufer, Reichpietschufer, Klingelhöferstraße, Hofjägerallee and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Mahlsdorf: From the state border via the B1/5 to Alexanderstraße and then via Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Unter den Linden, Wilhelmstraße, Dorotheenstraße, Scheidemannstraße, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee, Spreeweg and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Staaken: From the state border via B5 Heerstraße to Theodor-Heuss-Platz, Kaiserdamm, Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17. Juni and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni.

As we’ve already. mentioned, there will also be road closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jörg Carstensen

A large police presence was in place around the federal ministries and parliamentary buildings.

“We are taking preparatory measures before the farmers’ rally so that parliamentary work can take place smoothly on Friday,” said a spokesperson for the Berlin police on Thursday. 

During previous demonstrations, tactics – such as throwing manure and blockade attempts – have been controversial. 

On one occasion in January more than a hundred farmers blocked a ferry port as Economics Minister Robert Habeck tried to return from a holiday with his wife on the North Friesian island of Hooge.

According to media reports, some of the protestors tried to storm the ferry that the Habeck and his wife were on, preventing the Green Party politician from disembarking and forcing police to intervene. 

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