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WEATHER

Watch out Germany! Chilly sub-zero weekend ahead

Snow, ice, and freezing temperatures are all ahead this weekend as winter comes back with a vengeance after a brief respite.

Watch out Germany! Chilly sub-zero weekend ahead
A family play with a sled on the Großer Feldberg mountain near Frankfurt am Main, Hesse. Photo: DPA

The German Weather Service (DWD) predicts widespread snowfall of 1-5cm in low-lying areas and up to 10cm at higher elevations on Friday, with rain only in the west and south-west of the country.

Image: Deutsche Wetterdienst

Berlin had its dose of snow before the sun was even up on Friday, with picturesque results in some places.

In the Black Forest, as much as 20-30cm of snow could fall over the course of 12 hours.

Temperatures will hover around or a little below freezing during the day – so watch out for ice and slush on the ground that could cause you problems whether you're driving or on foot.

Overnight, southern Germany is likely to see more snow, as well as the Erzgebirge (Ore mountains) in the East.

There may be storms in mountainous areas thanks to the changing wind direction and large amounts of snowfall.

Meanwhile, the North will see little snow but temperatures will still lie between -5 and 0C – meaning more slippery ice and slush to watch out for.

Image: Deutsche Wetterdienst

Saturday will see cloudy skies with scattered snow, especially close to the Alps, with stormy spells in the north.

And on Sunday Germany will likely wake up to more fresh snow with more expected from heavy cloud in central and southern regions.

Image: Deutsche Wetterdienst

Temperatures will top out at between -5 and -1C – so wrap up warm!

SEE ALSO: The ten greatest German alpine ski resorts

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WEATHER

Winter weather returns to Germany after spring heat spell

Temperatures in Germany almost hit 30C in the last few weeks. But winter-like weather is well and truly back - and ski slopes are even re-opening in some areas.

Winter weather returns to Germany after spring heat spell

Many people in Germany will have already packed away their winter clothes as spring has seen high temperatures and lots of sun.

But a cosy hoody and jacket will be needed again.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), a blast of polar air has been moving in bringing ice, rain and sleet that is turning to snow, particularly at higher altitudes. 

Those who want to take advantage of the winter weather can even get back on the slopes. Many ski resorts had to close early for the season – but a few are reopening. 

On Friday, the ski lift at Kandel in the Emmendingen district (Baden-Württemberg) opens for floodlit skiing from 6pm. to 10pm. If the snow remains, the lifts will also operate at the weekend from 9am to 5pm.

Meanwhile, the lift at Seebuck (Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district) is operating on Saturday from 1pm to 5pm.

‘Aprilschmuddelwetter’

Lower-lying spots have also seen hailstones and snow showers. People in Munich dealt with a flurry of snow on Thursday as temperatures fell. High temperatures ranged from 4C in Oberallgäu to 12C in Lower Franconia.

In a post on X, the DWD described it as AprilschmuddelwetterSchmuddelwetter translates to “mucky” or “foul weather” and is often used in Germany in spring when there’s lots of rain.

The DWD said: “April foul weather on Friday: Widespread rain, snow in high mountain areas. In the afternoon, partly heavy sleet showers from the north-west, isolated thunderstorms. In addition, stormy winds in places. Temperatures will barely reach double figures.”

The DWD shared a photo with tulips poking out from the snow in Neuhaus am Rennweg in Thuringia and said it was symbolic of the current weather situation.

The low pressure system moving in from the North Sea was bringing more widespread rain, thunderstorms and hail on Friday. 

In Berlin temperatures hovered around 7C on Friday during the day with continuous rain. It was around 5C in Erfurt and 8C in Kiel. 

In western Germany, it was slightly less cool with temperatures reaching 10C – but torrential rain was forecast. 

Changeable weather with showers was forecast on Saturday, while some sunshine in the north and east of Germany was expected on Sunday. 

At night, there is a risk of frost, ice and freezing rain in the coming days in spots where the temperature drops.

This comes after a series of storms and strong winds lashed the country earlier this week.

READ ALSO: Storms and high winds hit Germany

Just a few days before that, Germany was bathed in sunshine as temperatures climbed up to nearly 30C.

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