In western Germany, a yellow level 1 weather warning of ice, snow and frost was in place Wednesday morning, while an orange level 2 warning was in place for freezing temperatures in the south east and eastern parts of the country, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).

The DWD warned of temperatures as low as -15 °C and of ice on the roads. Drivers have been urged to be careful and allow plenty of time for their journey.

Wetter.de reported that 1-8 cm of fresh snow fell overnight in Saarland, western Rhineland-Palatinate, western North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), western Lower Saxony and the North Sea islands. There was also snow in Cologne and Düsseldorf.

SEE ALSO: IN PHOTOS: Frosty temperatures as low as -18C hit Germany

In the east it remained dry, but the Mercury remained extremely low. According to Wetter.de, in Thuringia and Saxony the mercury dropped to between -8 and -15C.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, several traffic accidents due to the snow and ice have been reported.

The German weather service warns of snowfall in the west of Germany on Tuesday.

In the Wesel district of NRW, eight accidents caused by icy weather had taken place in less than 24 hours, reported Der Westen.

According to police, a total of 11 cars around Bochum and Recklinghausen slid on the roads due to the surfaces and required assistance. Nobody was injured.

It snowed overnight in the Rhineland region but the snowfall was expected to stop over the course of the morning. In larger cities the snow would therefore probably not remain during the day, meteorologists told Der Westen.

On Tuesday evening, there had already been several accidents in the Rhineland area. In one, a 52-year-old female cyclist and a car collided during heavy snowfall. The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Cold front

Temperatures remained well below freezing. On Wednesday morning as commuters travelled to work, the lowest temperatures including around -10C in Erfurt, eastern Germany.

In Hanover, Berlin, Dresden and Stuttgart it was -7C. The DWD recorded -4C in Kiel and it was slightly milder in the west – around -2 in Wiesbaden and -3 in Düsseldorf.

As The Local reported, according to the German Weather Service (DWD) a low of -18.6C was measured in the Erzgebirge region on Sunday night.

In the coming days it will remain cold, with low temperatures and possibly snow in other parts of Germany on Friday and Saturday.

Problem roads were being gritted in a bid to help drivers, as seen here in Recklinghausen, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: DPA

Cologne police urged drivers to be careful due to snow and ice.

A cyclist travelling through snow flurries on Tuesday in Kleve, NRW. Photo: DPA

Düsseldorf Fire Service used a creative way to warn drivers of the snow and ice on the roads.

Fire brigade warning lights of the fire brigade stand on a snow-covered street in Düsseldorf early on Wednesday morning. Photo: DPA

Police in Gelsenkirchen also released a warning of snow and ice urging people to stay safe.

Winter care was also happening on roads, such as in Wuppertal, NRW.