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Dozens injured and one dead from snow and ice

Spring snow showers and windy thunderstorms swept across much of Germany on Thursday, leaving one person dead and dozens injured in numerous traffic accidents. More snow is likey this week.

Published: 24 March 2009 15:30 CET

Dozens injured and one dead from snow and ice

Photo: DPA

Snow, sleet and hail created dangerous road conditions in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where a 39-year-old driver died and three others were injured in a head-on collision, police reported.

Meanwhile, the economy minister for the state of Thuringia, Jürgen Reinholz, suffered minor injuries in an auto accident after strong winds and snow blew his vehicle off the road near Nordhausen, his spokesperson said.

In the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, police reported more than a dozen serious injuries after more than 50 accidents.

Residents of Bavaria’s mountainous Allgäu region will even get to enjoy some late spring skiing after some resorts received up to 40 centimetres of new snow, the German Weather Service (DWD) said. But the heavy snow also stranded large trucks on icy roads and caused several minor accidents in the region.

The state of Saxony also struggled to keep up with accidents in the Erzgebirge mountains, police said.

Low pressure system Herbert – and the two lows expected to follow – won’t give spring a chance to warm the weather-weary country until Saturday at the earliest, the DWD reported.

More snow, sleet, and rain are on the way for the entire country, and nights could get cold enough for frost.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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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