Winter is causing huge problems and accidents on Germany's roads, railways and air traffic. The German Weather Service warns of black ice and snow until tomorrow.
Snow and slippery conditions caused accidents and traffic disruptions on several roads in Germany this morning. So far, however, there has mainly been damage to sheet metal. According to the German Weather Service, the severe weather situation is expected to last until Thursday morning.
In Baden-Württemberg, black ice caused accidents and traffic jams on several highways. According to police, A8, A7 and A5 were among those affected. Furthermore, around 30 accidents were reported in the Konstanz area alone in the early morning hours, and there were also dozens of accidents in the Freiburg area, as reported by the SWR. Several people were slightly injured and pedestrians and cyclists also fell on the slippery roads.
In Schleswig-Holstein, the A1 near Lübeck had to be temporarily closed in the morning after a truck left the road and crashed into the guardrail.
In Saarland, the A6 near St. Ingbert had to be partially closed after an accident involving several vehicles. A total of around 25 accidents were reported in Saarland this morning; According to police, two people were slightly injured.
Population informed by alert applications
In North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the population was also alerted to the weather situation via the Nina alert app and the Cell Broadcast cell phone alert system and asked to avoid driving if possible. Roads could become partially impassable and trees could collapse under the weight of snow, according to the warning sent out in North Rhine-Westphalia.
In Rhineland-Palatinate, the highest alert level regarding the risk of black ice was still in force in the morning; the third highest alert level was declared due to predicted snowfall.
School cancellations in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria
In North Rhine-Westphalia, face-to-face teaching in schools has been suspended in several districts and should, if possible, take place digitally, as WDR reported. In some Bavarian districts, classes were also canceled or held online due to weather conditions. As announced by the Ministry of Culture in Munich, the cancellation of schools affects several districts. These include, for example, Altötting, Tirschenreuth and Ansbach.
In Baden-Württemberg, the Ministry of Culture announced that students are not obliged to participate in face-to-face classes if they are unable to go to school due to the cancellation of transport connections. In these cases, parents must inform the school.
Severe weather warnings are partially in effect until Thursday
The German Weather Service warns of extreme black ice throughout the day, especially in the south and southwest of the country. Additionally, frost, freezing humidity and slippery conditions are expected across much of Germany. The risk of black ice is not expected to decrease again until Thursday night.
The DWD also predicted heavy snowfall in western Germany and the center of the country. From the Eifel and the Cologne area via the Rothaar mountains to Thuringia, up to 30 centimeters of new snow can be expected in 24 hours. Also the following night, the DWD predicted up to 15 centimeters of fresh snow in Rhineland-Palatinate and southern Hesse as far as Thuringia and Saxony. On Thursday there could be up to ten centimeters of fresh snow in some areas of the south.
Hundreds of flight connections canceled
The weather also affected air traffic. At Frankfurt Airport, almost 600 of the 1,047 planned connections had to be cancelled. Operating company Fraport said only severely limited air traffic could take place until Thursday. It is not yet clear if and how many flights may be canceled because they first want to wait and see how the weather evolves. Passengers are advised to check with the airlines in advance about their flights and not to go to the airport in case of cancellation.
At Munich airport, more than 250 of around 650 planned connections had to be cancelled. Here too, other flights may be canceled depending on weather conditions. Restricted operations in Frankfurt and Munich also affect other airports. At Berlin's capital BER airport, 20 flights to and from Frankfurt and ten flights to and from Munich were canceled on Tuesday. As reported by NDR, Hamburg Airport also had to cancel 30 connections due to weather conditions.
Saarbrücken Airport had already announced on Tuesday evening that it would completely stop flight operations on Wednesday.
Bahn warns about train cancellations and delays
Deutsche Bahn warned on its website that the onset of winter could lead to train cancellations and delays in regional and long-distance transport in large parts of Germany. ICE trains can only travel at a maximum speed of 200 kilometers per hour. Given that France is also affected by the weather situation, there are already cancellations on routes between Stuttgart and Paris and between Frankfurt am Main, Mannheim and Paris.
According to Deutsche Bahn, travelers who postpone their trip due to weather will be able to use tickets booked later. The rail connection has been suspended.