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WEATHER

Snowy weather causes traffic accidents around Germany

Winter weather has come to Germany for the first day of December, bringing snow and slippery roads.

Published: 1 December 2020 09:45 CET
Snowy weather causes traffic accidents around Germany
Trucks clearing snow on roads near the Black Forest on early Tuesday morning.

Several states reported traffic accidents early Tuesday morning, which police attribute largely to a lack of winter tyres. 

Police in Kassel, Hesse, reported 13 accidents caused by the weather, with a total of nine serious injuries. 

A further 24 injuries occurred in the area around Darmstadt. An articulated lorry skidded on the B47 near Bensheim and the trailer was torn off. The road remained temporarily closed for rescue work. 

The weather also caused problems on the roads in Baden-Württemberg. Around Pforzheim, for example, the police counted eight accidents due to slippery roads until early Tuesday morning.

A think layer of snow and ice in the centre of Frankfurt on early Tuesday morning. Photo: DPA

In southern Lower Saxony, several vehicles were involved in crashes due to black ice on the Autobahn 7. On a sloping stretch between the Drammetal junction and the Lutterberg junction, there were at least three crashes during the night, a police spokesman said early Tuesday morning. 

The road to the north was temporarily closed off, with the opposite lane only accessible in one lane. According to the police, there were no injuries.

Deutsche Bahn did not report any train delays or accidents due to the weather.

Snow coats several parts of Germany

But the weather also brought some nicer news. At higher altitudes in Thuringia, the first flakes fell during the night – for example, the winter sports resort of Oberhof in the Thuringian Forest was wrapped in a glistening white blanket.

The snow also coated several cities in the south of Germany, including in the states of Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria, bringing icy walkways.

Temperatures in the south are expected to hover between 0 and 2 degrees C on Tuesday.

Vocabulary

caused by the weather – witterungsbedingt

accidents – (die) Unfälle

glaze/black ice – (das) Glatteis

wrapped/draped – gehüllt

We're aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.


 

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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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