As of: January 20, 2024, 4:47 a.m
By: Romina Kunze, Kilian Bäuml, Martina Lippl, Marcus Giebel
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Weather chaos in Germany.
In large parts of the country, the DWD is also warning of extreme slippery conditions, freezing rain and fresh snow on Thursday.
All information in the news ticker.
Freezing
rain paralyzes
Frankfurt Airport
: landings are no longer possible from the afternoon
Katwarn
“
special case
”
triggered
: DWD warns of “extreme black ice” in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse and Lower Franconia
Snowstorm
and
black ice
in
Germany
: Restrictions also in Hamburg and Lower Saxony
The
news ticker
about
the weather chaos
in
Germany
is updated regularly.
Update from January 18th, 8:05 a.m.:
Due to the heavy snowfall, school lessons will also be canceled in some parts of Germany on Thursday.
All types of schools in the city and district of Göttingen are affected by the failure.
The district justified the decision by saying that regular school transport was not possible.
However, emergency care should be set up at schools.
Numerous highways were already closed during the night.
Update from January 18th, 5:28 a.m.:
After heavy snowfall again during the night and a number of transport connections were paralyzed, the situation remains tense in the morning.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of slippery weather and severe weather, especially in southern Germany.
In some regions up to 15 centimeters of fresh snow will fall.
In some areas there will be strong winds.
Hurricane-like gusts are blowing on the Feldberg in the Black Forest and in the coastal region in the north, which only weaken on Thursday morning.
Heavy snow showers can be expected near the North Sea and on the Baltic Sea until Friday (January 19th).
“We can look forward to widespread cold winter weather with sunshine at the weekend,” said the weather service.
Snow is also falling in large parts of Germany on Thursday (January 18th) and the roads remain slippery.
© Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa
Onset of winter in Germany: DWD warns of “stormy amounts of snow” in two federal states
Update from January 17th, 10:12 p.m.:
Snow and slippery conditions are expected to continue in parts of Germany on Thursday, as the German Weather Service reports.
In central and northern Hesse, for example, “significant to severe snow amounts” of 15 to 35 centimeters could be expected within 24 hours.
In addition, black ice must still be expected due to the freezing ice rain.
As the night progresses, cold air moves from north to south.
From the north, the freezing rain will turn into light to moderate snowfall - moving southeastwards by midday on Thursday.
The meteorologists expect up to five centimeters of fresh snow in the south of the country, and up to ten centimeters in traffic jams within six to twelve hours.
Winter weather paralyzes Germany: rail traffic is affected nationwide
Update from January 17th, 8:31 p.m.:
The winter weather is slowing down rail traffic in parts of Germany.
There are delays and cancellations in regional and long-distance transport, said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn (DB).
Bus and rail replacement services are also severely restricted in some regions due to the formation of black ice.
The spokeswoman was initially unable to say how long the disruption to rail traffic would last.
As a precautionary measure, Deutsche Bahn (DB) limited the maximum speed of its ICE trains to 200 km/h on Wednesday. “This will cause further disruption nationwide,” said Deutsche Bahn.
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The winter weather in Germany means that rail traffic is severely affected.
(Symbolic image) © Gareth Fuller/dpa
Update from January 17th, 5 p.m
.: Too much snow!
Bus traffic comes to a standstill in some regions of North Rhine-Westphalia.
In Wuppertal, bus traffic was completely stopped for safety reasons, reports WDR.
There have also been no buses in Siegen-Wittgenstein and Olpe since the afternoon.
There are hardly any buses on the road in other regions either.
Update from January 17th, 4:30 p.m
.: Many schools in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia will remain closed on Thursday due to the weather.
According to WDR, face-to-face teaching will be suspended in three districts of the Arnsberg administrative district (Siegen-Wittgenstein, Olpe and Hochsauerlandkreis).
Many students in the cities of Cologne, Aachen and Bonn also do not have to go to school.
Again individual take-offs at Frankfurt Airport
Update from January 17th, 4 p.m
.: Takeoffs at Frankfurt Airport are possible again.
Individual machines are now taking off again, reports the dpa news agency (see also update from 1:10 p.m.).
Given the decreasing rainfall, this is possible, according to a spokesman for the airport operator Fraport.
Landings are also planned in the coming hours.
However, we have to wait and see how the weather develops further.
Heavy snowfall begins in parts of Germany
Update from January 17th, 3:20 p.m
.: Heavy snowfall is starting in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.
Up to 30 centimeters of snow could fall in the next few hours (Thursday morning, January 18th) from southern North Rhine-Westphalia and northern Rhineland-Palatinate to Thuringia, according to the German Weather Service (DWD).
The DWD warns of “significant traffic disruptions and the risk of snow breakage!”
Highest storm warning level for parts of Germany due to extreme risk of black ice
Update from January 17th, 2 p.m
.: The freezing rain situation is getting worse in the middle of Germany.
In the next few hours there could be up to 20 liters per square meter in the form of freezing rain from western Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland to southern Hesse, warns the German Weather Service (DWD).
The highest warning level still applies.
Freezing rain paralyzes Frankfurt Airport - landings are no longer possible from the afternoon
Update from January 17th, 1:10 p.m
.: Frankfurt Airport stops take-offs due to freezing rain.
According to a spokesman for the operator Fraport, aircraft could no longer be safely de-iced before take-off due to the persistent freezing rain.
This is reported by the dpa news agency.
The plan is to completely stop operations at the airport from 3 p.m.
The parking positions were slowly filling up.
Camp beds for stranded passengers have already been set up.
Storm conditions in Germany remain tense - DWD warns of freezing rain and black ice
Update from January 17th, 1 p.m
.: Lightning ice covers streets in the middle and south of Germany.
The sharp air mass boundary is shifting.
In some parts of Baden-Württemberg and southern Bavaria, temperatures are rising and the black ice situation is currently easing, reports the German Weather Service (DWD).
However, slippery roads can still be expected in Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Bavaria until Wednesday evening.
The DWD warning situation report (as of 11 a.m.) states:
Until this evening, long-lasting freezing rain with black ice in the
Eifel
,
Vogelsberg
,
southern Thuringia
and
eastern Saxony
.
From western
Rhineland-Palatinate
and
Saarland
to
southern Hesse
, some around 20 l/sqm in the form of freezing rain.
Extreme ice build-up on objects, trees and power lines as well as a high risk of ice breaking!
Update from January 17th, 12:14 p.m
.: The A5 motorway between Rastatt-Nord and Baden-Baden is open again towards the south.
This is reported by SWR, citing the Offenburg police.
To the north, the closure is still ongoing and the road has to be cleared of a layer of ice, it is said.
Update from January 17th, 12:06 p.m
.: A resident in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania had a fatal accident while shoveling snow.
A car hit the man (86) on the B109 on Tuesday afternoon.
The driver apparently had no chance of getting out of the way when the man suddenly stepped onto the road.
A5 motorway near Raststatt (Baden-Württemberg) completely closed
Update from January 17th, 10:44 a.m
.: Due to a “layer of ice,” the A5 motorway is completely closed between the Rastatt-Nord and Baden-Baden junctions, the police said.
There were numerous accidents on the section in Baden-Württemberg on Wednesday morning.
It is initially unclear whether there were any injuries.
Katwarn “special case” triggered – DWD warns of “extreme black ice” in Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse and Lower Franconia
Update from January 17th, 9:50 a.m
.: Lightning ice and freezing rain - roads and highways are partly slippery.
Because of the risk of black ice, classes at many schools in Bavaria are canceled on Wednesday or end early.
Schoolchildren in Hof will be sent home at 1 p.m., the district reports.
250 flights have already been canceled at Munich Airport.
Snow and slippery conditions are also paralyzing operations at Frankfurt Airport (Hesse).
Due to the weather, the airport is also expecting interruptions and cancellations on Thursday (January 18th).
Passengers are advised not to come to the airport if their flight is canceled.
Because of lightning ice, online lessons are taking place in some schools in Baden-Württemberg in the Tübingen area, reports SWR.
The authorities expressly warn against slippery snow in some regions.
Extreme black ice and heavy snowfall are also expected in Rhineland-Palatinate.
Around 25 accidents due to black ice were recorded in Saarland on Wednesday morning.
The A6 motorway in the direction of Mannheim was temporarily closed.
The German Weather Service (DWD) triggered a Katwarn “special case” on Wednesday morning: “Today and Thursday night, extreme black ice – parts of Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Hesse and Lower Franconia”.
A map shows where it becomes dangerous due to freezing rain in Germany and when.
Weather warning message: Broadcast and Katwarn were triggered in large parts of Germany in the morning.
© Marijan Murat/picture alliance/dpa/Screenshot/DWD
Extreme weather in Germany: DWD warns of “full-blown severe weather conditions” due to snow and black ice
Update from January 17th, 6:57 a.m.:
The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of a “full-blown storm situation due to snow and sometimes extreme freezing rain,” which will lead to significant disruptions in road and rail traffic.
Central Germany in particular will be affected by heavy snowfall and extreme black ice in some areas.
In the west of the country, the DWD declared the purple alert level for some districts, the highest severe weather warning level.
Car journeys should be avoided if possible.
Longer lasting freezing rain is also expected until Thursday night.
Then snow will only continue to fall in southern Germany.
Some may also have been woken up in the morning by the warning message from the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief on their cell phones.
In it, the DWD warns of the danger that trees could collapse under the weight of snow for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse.
There could also be extreme ice buildup on objects and power lines.
There is a widespread risk of ice breakage.
Snow-covered roads in Germany: Icy temperatures around freezing point have led to an increasing number of slippery accidents.
© Kay Nietfeld/dpa
Update from January 16th, 4:35 p.m.:
Due to the feared slippery conditions, there may also be severe disruptions in other parts of Germany.
Among other things, traffic chaos is predicted in the Rhine-Main area, with Deutsche Bahn already taking the first measures to deal with the difficult weather conditions in Germany.
In addition to rail traffic, Frankfurt Airport is apparently also affected by the possible snow chaos.
Snowstorm and black ice in Germany: Restrictions also in Hamburg and Lower Saxony
In addition, there will be school cancellations in Hesse on Wednesday due to the impending weather conditions.
In addition to Bavaria and Hesse, the north is also preparing against the impending “ice tank”, which could wreak havoc not only in Hesse and Frankfurt.
The onset of winter also has some effects on rail traffic in Lower Saxony, just as it does in Hamburg.
Freezing rain and snowstorm in Germany: school cancellations in Bavaria - restrictions at Munich Airport
Update from January 16th, 4:20 p.m.:
When it comes to the weather in Germany, citizens still have to prepare for severe slippery conditions.
In Bavaria there are already some school cancellations due to the extremely icy conditions and the airport in Munich is also predicting significant restrictions for Wednesday due to the black ice warning.
Weather service alerts numerous regions with warning level purple – expert warns of “tree breakage”
Update from January 16th, 3:11 p.m.:
You should definitely not take a walk through the winter forest.
It is also dangerous there with the extreme weather conditions.
The freezing rain can cause ice sheets to form on the trees, some of which weigh tons.
“It happens again and again that branches or entire trees can no longer withstand the ice masses and then the trees break,” explains meteorologist Jan Schenk from “The Weather Channel”.
Warning level purple in Germany: Weather service continues to warn of severe slippery conditions
Update from January 16th, 12.30 p.m.:
Frost, freezing rain and snow: The German Weather Service (DWD) continues to warn of slippery conditions.
There is a risk of severe restrictions due to freezing rain and snowfall, especially on Wednesday.
The warning and information system KATWARN is already triggered, meaning that a slippery warning is currently in effect for numerous regions in southern Germany: “There is a very high risk of slippery conditions due to freezing rain and heavy ice build-up.
Starting with light snowfall, quickly turning into freezing rain with the formation of black ice.”
As can be read there, there is currently “great danger to life and limb due to freezing rain with heavy ice formation” in numerous regions;
widespread icefall”.
Update from January 16th, 11:09 a.m.:
The winter chaos is already raging on Tuesday.
Black ice and slippery snow cause numerous accidents in Germany, and train traffic is partially affected.
And the big weather hammer is still to come: on Wednesday and Thursday there is a risk of severe disruption to public life due to massive freezing rain and heavy snowfall.
The highest warning level applies.
Winter weather hammer that divides the country in two – expert announces: “It’s really going well”
First report from January 15th, 2:50 p.m.:
Munich – snow, frost and slippery conditions – this winter delivers everything that defines the season.
Also in the third week of January.
After the already spectacular start on Monday, Germany is even facing a split in two due to the weather on Wednesday.
Weather in Germany: On Monday, snow showers will move through the country from the north
For Dominik Jung, the first day of the week will be “pretty turbulent”.
According to the qualified meteorologist and managing director of the weather service “Q.met GmbH”, “snow showers from the North Sea to the interior of the country” are to be expected.
There are also short winter thunderstorms.
Accordingly, temperatures at low altitudes reach one to four degrees, which leads to “wet, cold, dirty weather”.
On the other hand, above 300 or 400 meters there is light permanent frost, which is why the snow remains.
Jung explains: “Ten to 15, sometimes 20 centimeters of snow is possible in the northern part of the low mountain ranges.”
Snowy and icy roads in Germany: The highest weather warning level applies.
© Jan Eifert/Imago
The German Weather Service (DWD) warns of slippery snow and sleet showers as well as heavy snowfall and snow drifts in the mountains.
In addition, squalls are possible in the northeast, on the coasts and in the mountains.
It will continue to snow in some areas at night, and there may be frost and widespread slippery conditions.
Winter in Germany: Wednesday air mass limit divides the weather
According to Jung, the values on Tuesday morning are between minus five and zero degrees.
Widespread slippery roads are to be expected.
As the day progresses, temperatures climb to up to three degrees, with only a few snow showers moving through the north.
Overall, the weather situation calms down - and then quickly picks up speed.
“On Wednesday the air mass limit, which has been announced for over a week, will come to us in Germany.
And then things really take off,” summarizes Jung.
In the north the shaking continues at minus one or two degrees.
The south gets nine to twelve degrees.
“It will be really mild there,” speculates the weather expert with a view to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg & Co.
Snow and rain in Germany: mild in the south and cold in other parts of the country
Although it is not yet certain where exactly the air mass limit will be, in this transition area the values should settle around the freezing point.
In the southwest it will initially snow heavily, "but beyond that it will be significantly milder, some freezing rain, freezing rain and then just rain because the temperatures are rising significantly."
The snow is expected to fall as far as northern Rhineland-Palatinate.
The south of North Rhine-Westphalia can also benefit from the white flakes, and the line then runs in the east to Saxony and the south of Brandenburg.
Jung emphasizes: “Further south we have dangerous freezing rain in some cases, lasting several hours.
This is of course a fire hazard for overhead lines and power lines.” The situation is different on the Upper Rhine, where temperatures can reach ten to eleven degrees.
The DWD is forecasting a “pronounced severe weather situation with heavy snowfall over the center and partly extreme black ice to the south” for what is probably the most varied day of the week.
Snow in almost all of Germany: The week starts off really wintry.
© IMAGO / Funke Photo Services
Lots of snowfall in Germany: In the southwest, rain can also turn into sleet
According to Jung, the expected air mass limit will continue to have an impact after Wednesday.
He warns: “Thursday night remains extremely dangerous, with some long-lasting heavy snowfall from Rhineland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia all the way across to Saxony and Brandenburg.” Temperatures are also falling again in the southwest, “and then the rain can turn into sleet.” .
But that was not all.
In the southern central part it is expected to continue snowing at zero to two degrees.
In the very south, however, the values rise again to a low wintery ten to eleven degrees.
However, things go downhill again as the day progresses.
For the north, Thursday offers zero to three degrees.
Things are friendlier and the sun might even make an appearance.
Cold in Germany: Double-digit temperatures forecast for the start of the weekend
On Friday night it will be “partly bitterly cold”.
In the middle, temperatures drop to minus twelve degrees.
The day itself appears to be “a little more relaxed”.
Values around freezing point are expected, up to two degrees in the Upper Rhine, and even three or four degrees in the northwest.
The weekend starts off really wintry, with temperatures expected to drop to minus 15 degrees in some places.
The values will rise to minus five to three degrees during the day on Saturday.
The sun shows up occasionally.
Jung expects “a slight improvement” in the following days.
However, this is mostly accompanied by dense clouds.
Zero to eight degrees are forecast for Sunday, minus one to six degrees for Monday.
Temperatures are expected to rise slowly in the new week.
Rain must be expected.
(mg/kiba/dpa)