The start of winter has caused slippery and sometimes very cold roads in some parts of Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) also warned of further snowfall, freezing rain and ongoing traffic disruptions this Monday, 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.
Many accidents result in death and injury
The start of winter causes road problems in several areas, including slippery highways. At least three people were killed and several others injured in a crash on Autobahn 93 near Maxhütte-Haidhof in Upper Western Bavaria. Based on police findings so far, two trucks and one car were involved in the early morning accident. The cause of the accident was initially unclear; according to police, the highway was slippery.
According to the police department, there have been many ice accidents due to snow, especially in northwestern Germany. In the area between Cuxhaven, Jever and Diepholz, 42 accidents occurred due to slippery conditions, as announced by the police department responsible in Oldenburg. However, no serious injuries were reported.
In Schleswig-Holstein, black ice caused havoc on the A7. On the A9 in Central Franconia and near Schnaittach, trucks skidded off the road, sometimes triggering short-term closures.
Danger of black ice from very cold rain
In Baden-Württemberg, several ice accidents on the A7 resulted in sheet metal damage. 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.
On Monday, the weather across Germany is expected to remain unstable, wet and cold. Some snow fell in the east and northeast, and heavily in eastern Bavaria, as announced by the German Weather Service. In southeastern Bavaria, there remains a risk of black ice due to freezing rain, with storm-like rainfall in some places.
Throughout Germany the weather is very cloudy to overcast. 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. Hail is also expected in the north.
The weather is expected to remain cold Tuesday night. In the south and southeast, rainfall continues, and snow falls further into the lowlands. As also announced by the German Weather Service, up to ten centimeters of fresh snow is possible in the Bavarian Forest and near the Alps on Tuesday morning.
