Dangerously slippery conditions, snow extends to lowlands: a big start to winter has caused road problems in many parts of Germany. Three people have died in a serious crash in the Upper Western.
The onset of winter turns parts of Germany white at night – and at the same time brings slippery roads and sometimes dangerous icy conditions. The German Weather Service (DWD) also warned of further snowfall, freezing rain and ongoing traffic disruption today, especially in the south and southeast.
An official storm warning regarding extreme black ice was in effect for the Stuttgart and Tübingen regions in the early hours of the morning.
There were also slippery roads, individual accidents and disabilities in Bavaria, Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Hamburg. Police spokespeople in Bavaria and Lower Saxony spoke about the first real night of snow this winter.
At least three people died in a crash in Bavaria
At least three people were killed and several others injured in a crash on the A93 near Maxhütte-Haidhof in the Upper Western. Based on police information so far, two trucks and one car were involved in the early morning accident. The cause of the crash remains unclear, but police said slippery conditions may have been a factor.
On the A9, trucks skidded off the road in Central Franconia and near Schnaittach, sometimes triggering short-term closures. In Baden-Württemberg, several ice accidents on the A7 resulted in sheet metal damage.
There was a crash in Emsland on Sunday evening where a car drove into oncoming traffic, a police spokesman said. One person was seriously injured. In the area between Cuxhaven, Jever and Diepholz alone, 42 accidents occurred due to icing, according to the police department responsible in Oldenburg. In Schleswig-Holstein, black ice caused havoc on the A7.
Air traffic in Cologne/Bonn has stopped
At Cologne/Bonn Airport, flight operations had to be temporarily suspended for 45 minutes due to ice lightning. In Würzburg, local transport stopped all bus operations at night; the tram continues to run.
The weather remains cold
Across Germany, the weather is expected to remain unstable, wet and cold. Further snowfall is expected in the east and northeast, and heavy in some eastern regions of Bavaria, the German Weather Service announced. In southeastern Bavaria, there remains a risk of black ice due to freezing rain, with storm-like rainfall in some places.
Most parts of the country will be cloudy to cloudy. More prolonged rainfall continued over a wide area from Switzerland to the Bavarian Forest, with freezing rain continuing in the southeast. Individual showers will occur from west to central, with brief breaks possible in the east. The maximum value ranges between one degree on the Oder and up to eight degrees in the Aachen region.
