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Deep freeze continues in Germany

Icy polar air has brought new record low temperatures to Germany for the second straight day. The town of Dippoldiswalde in the eastern state of Saxony registered a frigid -27.7 degrees Celsius (-17.86 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday morning, weather service Meteomedia reported.

Published: 7 January 2009 08:59 CET

Deep freeze continues in Germany

Photo: DPA

The chilly temperature beats Tuesday’s Delitzsch record of -26 degrees Celsius (-14.8 degrees Fahrenheit) to make it the coldest day this winter.

The towns of Altenburg and Sohland were close behind, reporting temperatures of -27.5 degrees Celsius – a low that hasn’t been seen there in some 22 years.

Meanwhile school was cancelled for childrenn in the Lüchow-Dannenberg county in the state of Lower Saxony becuase streets were so icy that busses were unable to operate. The bitter cold temperatures are expected to rise by three to four degrees in northern Germany on Wednesday morning progresses due to cloud cover.

But northern and central Germany can expect light snowfall followed by some sunshine. Southern Germany will likely be dry and partly sunny with some fog expected.

On Thursday most German residents can also expect sunshine, but those on the North and Baltic Sea coast may see freezing rain.

However, warmer weather is on the way. “High Angela will create wintery cold temperatures in the coming days, but the worst of the cold snap was reached today,” meteorologist Andread Meingassner told DPA.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Major storms hit western Germany on Thursday, causing travel disruption and flooding.

In parts of Baden-Württemberg, streets were flooded and rivers swelled. Bisingen, southwest of Tübingen, was particularly hard hit, with cellars and streets plunged under water.

Police said there was also traffic disruption. In Baden-Württemberg’s state capital Stuttgart, severe storms and lightning caused issues and some roads were closed.

A lightning strike in the Sigmaringen area resulted in a broken signal box on the railway line. According to Deutsche Bahn, no train journeys were possible in the region in the early evening with several delays and cancellations.

Other states were also affected.

There were around 300 relief operations in the Ahrweiler district in Rhineland-Palatinate, which was hit by the 2021 deadly flood disaster.

Police said no-on was injured, although basements and streets were flooded. The water levels of the Ahr were being closely monitored.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday.

Emergency services in Bisingen on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Silas Stein

In Trier, too, streets were flooded after heavy rain and there were hailstorms. The Koblenz police headquarters reported fallen trees. Significant property damage due to full cellars and flooded streets was also reported in some areas.

Heavy showers also fell in Hesse, accompanied by thunder storms. In Frankfurt, according to the fire department, the heavy rain caused water to enter the Bethanien Hospital and even reach the intensive care unit of the clinic.

“We were able to contain the damage relatively quickly and prevent it from spreading,” said fire department spokesman Thorben Schemmel, adding that no patients were affected.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, the Eifel region was particularly affected, with reports of flooded streets after heavy rain and hailstorms.

North Rhine-Westphalia also saw storms late in the afternoon on Thursday.

The German Weather Service (DWD) said it expected some heavy rain and hail in parts of the country on Friday – particularly in the west – and at the weekend but warnings of severe weather have been lifted.

The DWD said there could still be one or two strong thunderstorms in the northeast on Friday. However, it will be a significantly quieter day compared to Thursday. Temperatures of up to 25C can be expected.

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