Last updated: 26.12.2023, 04:46 a.m.
By: Sandra Sporer
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For many, Christmas without snow is only half as nice. In many places, there will be no white Christmas in 2023 either - but a few areas may get snow.
Munich – When the snow chaos brought local and long-distance traffic to a standstill in large parts of Germany at the beginning of December, the forecasts for a white Christmas were initially quite optimistic. In the meantime, however, meteorologists have had to adjust their forecast. According to the current status, it looks poor in terms of snow at Christmas. However, there are a few enclaves that will be able to enjoy the white splendor on Christmas Eve. This includes, among other things, the Bavarian Forest.
Outlook: Rainy and cloudy almost everywhere at Christmas
The reason for the snow-unfriendly weather conditions is a low pressure system over the Farör Islands. As a result, "mild Atlantic air comes to us," explains meteorologist Georg Haas at wetter.com. This ensures that it will be cloudy and rainy in large parts of Germany on 24 December. In the south it is still dry at first, but in the evening it gets wet from above. "It definitely won't work out with the winter fairy tale in the lowlands. It's just too warm," Haas concluded.
The maximum temperatures on Christmas Eve will be between 6 and 13 degrees. So you don't have to get your hopes up for snow in the first place. At least that's true for the lower-lying areas of Germany. Some higher altitudes can look forward to white flakes and a blanket of snow.
There will be no white Christmas in large parts of Germany in 2023 either. However, some areas still have a chance. © Ales Utouka/IMAGO
Snow is still falling in some areas – there could be snow here at Christmas
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), this is especially the case in the Bavarian Forest. On 23 December, "light to moderate" snowfall is forecast in the high altitudes of the Harz Mountains, the Ore Mountains, the Bavarian Forest and the Alps. In some areas, up to 20 centimetres of fresh snow may fall in these areas. In addition, it snows "in the Saxon highlands until the evening, sometimes at low altitudes". Here it can even be up to 30 centimeters of fresh snow, according to the DWD.
Snow is still falling in the East Saxon mountains and in the Bavarian Forest in the night to Christmas, but far less than on Saturday. The DWD speaks of one to five centimeters of fresh snow. However, it will also be rainy here during the day. Nevertheless, these regions are the areas with the highest probability of a white Christmas.
But maybe it's a good thing that there is no snow at the moment. At least for public transport. In Munich, for example, the S4 is still struggling with the aftermath of the snow chaos on the first week of December. (sp
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