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STORM

Heavy snow, avalance danger continues in southern Germany

The risk posed by heavy snow continued throughout the south on Monday, with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer pledging to visit the areas most affected in Bavaria.

Heavy snow, avalance danger continues in southern Germany
A Bundeswehr soldier frees a house from snow in Buchenhöhe in Berchtesgaden, where Seehofer will visit with emergency forces. Photo: DPA

Late Sunday evening, an avalanche buried parts of the federal highway 305 in the district of Berchtesgaden in south Bavaria. Nobody was injured, but the section remained closed.

In the Allgäu, a scenic southern region surrounded by Alps, the authorities closed the access road to the community of Balderschwang due to the danger of avalanches.

The entrance to the Riedbergpass in the Allgäu is closed off due to an avalanche danger. Photo: DPA

Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer, of the centre right Christian Socialists, will soon get a picture of the situation himself: On Sunday evening, he announced his plans to meet with federal emergency forces of the federal police and the technical relief organization in Berchtesgaden.

Talks are planned in Berchtesgaden and Neukirchen am Teisenberg, among other places in south Bavaria. His cabinet colleague and Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, of the CSU's sister party the Christian Democrats, promised on Sunday to assist the districts affected by the snow chaos.

Snow continues in Upper Bavaria

In five Upper Bavarian districts; Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen, Traunstein, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Miesbach and Berchtesgaden, the disaster has been in effect for days – and it will probably continue for the time being.

At numerous schools in Upper and Lower Bavaria as well as in the Allgäu region, classes were cancelled on Monday because the authorities were unable to guarantee a safe route to school. In the districts Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen and Oberallgäu as well as in the city of Kempten, no lessons will take place until Tuesday.

Parked cars in Munich sit between fallen snow from the previous days. Unlike other parts of Bavaria, no new snow, however, fell on Sunday night. Photo: DPA

Traffic jams due to snow

Snow and ice was also causing traffic obstructions at the start of the week in other parts of Germany. Heavy rain and gusts of wind caused an accident during the night in Hesse. Near Bad Karlshafen in the Kassel district, a tree crashed into a moving car on the B83. According to police, four passengers were slightly injured. Two of them were trapped in the car and had to be freed by the fire brigade.

In the north and central Hessen, police spoke of fallen trees, which in some cases blocked roads. In Wiesbaden, construction fences blew on roads. “Overall, the night was relatively quiet, however,” a police spokesperson told FOCUS Online.

Snow continues to fall south of the Main river, freezing on to wet road. It is still windy to stormy. In addition, gusts of wind up to 80 km/h are possible, reported FOCUS Online.

Flooding in Baden-Württemberg

Flooding is expected in parts of Baden-Württemberg on Monday. In the Black Forest, the Hohenlohe and the Swabian Alb, isolated floods are possible, the flood forecasting centre for Baden-Württemberg announced on Sunday.

Due to heavy rain, the Acher river on Monday morning had a high water level. Photo: DPA

On the lower Neckar river, flooding on Monday midday is expected to reach a level that occurs about every two years. The continuous rainfall could cause water levels to rise rapidly and sharply.

The floods in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria, as well as the snowfall in the Alps, are expected to slowly decrease from Monday night until Tuesday. By Wednesday or Thursday, the German Weather Service expects temperatures to drop, with rain expected and possible thunderstorms on Thursday.

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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.

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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