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WEATHER

‘Dangerous’ icy spell in Germany to be followed by mild temperatures

Following a very frosty few days, temperatures in Germany are expected to take a milder turn this week. Can the country still expect a snowy Christmas holiday?

Published: 20 December 2022 16:15 CET
'Dangerous' icy spell in Germany to be followed by mild temperatures
A frosty road in the Erzgebirge in Saxony on Tuesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Hendrik Schmidt

Roads and sidewalks in parts of Germany risk turning into “dangerous slippery slopes,” although temperatures will ease around the country before Christmas weekend, the German Weather Service (DWD) said in its report on Tuesday.

Starting in the evening, several regions will see black ice – especially in the Saxon mountains and in parts of Bavaria, reported DWD. 

Accidents and closures due to the weather

On Tuesday, school classes were cancelled in many regions of Bavaria due to extremely icy conditions, especially in Lower Franconia, Middle Franconia and the Upper Palatinate.

On Monday, Germany already had to contend with slippery roads that saw dozens of flights cancelled at Frankfurt airport. Icy roads caused hundreds of accidents and full emergency rooms in hospitals.

READ ALSO: Several flights slashed at Frankfurt airport due to icy conditions

Parks, zoos and Christmas markets remained closed as a precaution because of the weather, with many reopening on Tuesday.

Police and rescue services responded to further incidents on Tuesday, with 49 accidents reported in the area around Dresden by midday. Most involved only minor damage.

In the Würzburg region, there were more than 100 accidents between midnight and 8 am, according to the rescue control centre.

Parts of Bavaria, such as Landshut, were hit particularly hard by the icy weather. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Armin Weigel

In the Thuringian Forest, however, winter sports enthusiasts rejoiced over the wintry weather, which saw up to 25 centimeters of snowfall in some areas. Around 110 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails were made available to people, according to a local winter sports report.

READ ALSO: 7 amazing places to ski in Germany this winter

Mild temperatures expected for the rest of the week

According to the DWD, most ice is expected to melt away by Wednesday morning. Nationwide, mostly grey weather and intermittent rain are predicted instead.

Temperatures will rise to between 6 and 11C around the country, with up to 13C possible in the Upper Rhine area. In southeastern Bavaria, the mercury is still likely to hover between 2 and 6C.

Stormy gusts are expected in the mountains and along the coasts. On Wednesday evening, it may become slippery again in the southeast.

The mild mercury means that a White Christmas is not looking likely in most regions of Germany. According to the DWD, the Christmas weekend will bring “clearly too mild temperatures with windy and at times wet weather”.

READ ALSO: Will Germany see more snow this winter?

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WEATHER

Severe weather warnings issued as Germany braces for more storms

Extreme weather warnings for heavy rainfall remain in place in parts of Germany on Friday following flooding in the south. There is also a chance of thunderstorms at the weekend.

Published: 17 May 2024 10:37 CEST
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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