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WEATHER

Icy roads in eastern half of Germany cause traffic chaos

Black ice on motorways in the eastern side of Germany caused dozens of accidents across several states on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

Published: 31 January 2017 09:50 CET
Icy roads in eastern half of Germany cause traffic chaos
A truck overturned on Monday in Bernau, Brandenburg.

Upper Palatinate in Bavaria counted more than 80 accidents as of 7am on Tuesday due to streets and train tracks covered in ice.

“There's a new accident almost every minute,” said a police spokesman in Upper Palatinate.

In Lower Bavaria, police counted 40 accidents on Monday night as many cars slid off of roads or into other vehicles. Five people were slightly injured in these accidents.

One stretch of the Autobahn in the direction of Regensburg was closed off for an hour and a half due to a truck accident.

Meanwhile in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police counted 29 collisions with three people slightly injured in total. Thuringen and Saxony also had several accidents. But in Berlin and Brandenburg, slushy snow caused only a few problems on roadways.

The German Weather Service (DWD) warned that on Tuesday there would continue to be freezing rain and black ice in parts of Bavaria. And classes were cancelled in schools in Lower Bavaria, Upper Bavaria, and Upper Palatinate due to the weather conditions.

In northeastern Germany, the DWD predicted that the highest temperatures would be at the freezing point for Tuesday with snow expected, while the rest of the country is expected to have milder weather. The southwest could see the mercury rise to 7C.

On Wednesday, the west, southwest, and alpine regions are predicted to have rain, while eastern mountain ranges could see snow. But overall, most of the country is expected to have temperatures slightly above freezing.

Weather forecast for Wednesday:
 

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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.

Published: 19 April 2024 12:42 CEST
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 Aprilschmuddelwetter – Schmuddelwetter 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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