Snow, ice, chaos: The first big winter of the year causes drivers in Germany to skid. Three people died in Bavaria. There are already warnings of black ice and further frost.
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 disruptions this Monday, especially in the south and southeast.
In a Accident At least three people were killed and several others injured on the slippery Autobahn 93 near Maxhütte-Haidhof in the Upper Western. Based on police findings so far, two trucks and one car were involved in the early morning accident.
Snow, snow and more snow at the harbor in Hamburg
Accidents, chaos and death
▶︎ There were 42 icing accidents in the area between Cuxhaven, Jever and Diepholz. This was reported by the Oldenburg police department in charge there. However, no serious injuries were reported. The biggest impact was caused by trucks turning around on the A1 road at the Bremen intersection due to slippery conditions. The route to Hamburg was forced to close for several hours
▶︎ At night for the first time in Hamburg winter it’s snowing. The city was covered in a thick layer of snow. However, the snowfall barely affected traffic until near midnight. Police in the Hanseatic city did not report any disturbances or major accidents on the roads. There are also no delays in train traffic caused by weather conditions.
Snow makes things difficult for Hamburg drivers
▶︎ In Schleswig-Holstein, black ice caused havoc on the A7, and on the A9, trucks skidded off the road in Central Franconia and near Schnaittach, triggering occasional short-term closures.
▶︎ On the B73 near Buxtehude, a semi-trailer truck left the road because the road was slippery and snowy. The trailer turned sideways and blocked the main road. The tractor ended up in a ditch. The driver remained uninjured. The semi-trailer had to be retrieved by a tow truck.
Nothing works anymore! The semi-trailer ended up in a ditch near Buxdehude
▶︎ In Baden-Württemberg, several slippery accidents on the A7 resulted in sheet metal damage.
▶︎ Würzburger Liefer- und Verkehrs-GmbH (WVV) stopped all its bus services in the city on Monday evening. As WVV announced, regular buses and night buses will no longer operate until their operations end.
Streets were also cleared in Berlin
▶︎ Berlin and Brandenburg on Monday started with partial snow. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), up to three centimeters of fresh snow is expected in the morning, especially near the Oder. Apart from that, there are icy and slippery conditions with temperatures between -2 to -5 degrees.
Cologne-Bonn Airport is paralyzed
Due to a lightning strike, Cologne/Bonn Airport had to suspend flight operations for 45 minutes on Sunday afternoon. The runway had to be de-iced, a spokesman said. This causes occasional departure delays. The spokesperson could not say how many flights and passengers were affected. Operations were suspended between 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m.
This is what winter weather looks like on Monday
That was supposed to be on Monday Weather remains unstable and wet and cold across Germany. 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 maximum value ranges between one degree on the Oder and up to eight degrees in the Aachen region. The wind is blowing weak to moderate from the south.
