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WEATHER

Snow and ice freeze traffic

Snow and ice caused numerous accidents and road closures around Germany on Thursday, as meteorologists warned more winter weather was on the way.

Published: 17 December 2009 13:25 CET
Snow and ice freeze traffic
Photo: DPA

Traffic in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein was heavily affected by snowfall, police reported. Multiple accidents were clustered in the districts of Schleswig-Flensburg and Northern Friesland, and two people were injured overnight, they added.

Meanwhile icy roads in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg caused some 40 accidents in just two hours along the A81 motorway in Ludwigsburg county, police said. One collision involved a beet-laden truck that was hit by another car after sliding into a road barrier around 6 am. The truck driver was trapped in the vehicle and severely injured.

Police closed the A81 into Heilbronn due to the extremely icy conditions, causing traffic jams several kilometres long. Winter storms in nearby Heidelberg forced the closure of the A5 motorway, and the 600a and B535 were also impassable.

More snow and freezing temperatures are expected as a low-pressure system continues to send cold air through central Europe, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported.

On Thursday, up to 10 centimetres of snow could fall in coastal areas in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony. Later in the day snow will likely cover low mountain ranges in the eastern part of the country too.

Friday will be continue to be snowy in eastern and northern Germany, where temperatures will top out between -1 and -8 degrees Celsius. Light snow will continue in many places overnight into Saturday as temperatures reach as low as -15 degrees in the south.

The northern coast will see snowfall on Sunday, though it may turn to rain as the day goes on. Temperatures will average -5 degrees but could drop as low as -10 in the south and east, the DWD said.

While cloud cover will dissipate in the Alps on Sunday, northern and central Germany could get up to 10 centimetres of new snow and rain on the Baltic and North Sea coast. The air will likely warm to exceed freezing.

While more snow is expected in the week to follow, the DWD hesitated to predict a white Christmas, saying that current weather patterns are too “complicated” to make an accurate report.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

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WEATHER

More rain forecast as storms hit western Germany

Severe storms and heavy rain affected parts of Germany on Thursday, creating disruptions. More rain is forecast on Friday but weather warnings have been lifted.

Published: 3 May 2024 09:53 CEST
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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