Snow and slippery conditions have caused chaotic conditions in parts of Germany. Hesse in particular is affected. The German Weather Service expects winter weather to continue.
The onset of winter caused slippery accidents in several federal states – at least two people died. In the Schwäbisch Hall district in Baden-Württemberg, a 71-year-old man died in a head-on collision on a snowy road in the evening. A 54-year-old driver died in a black ice accident near Denzerheide in Rhineland-Palatinate.
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), snow and sleet will continue in many parts of Germany today.
People asked to stay at home
Accidents with minor injuries and a lot of property damage occurred in many parts of Hesse. Trees fell due to the weight of the snow. The situation became particularly serious in the Rheingau-Taunus district. According to the fire department, numerous drivers were stuck in their vehicles here. Around 100 people had to be rescued from their cars near Eltville due to falling trees. They were initially housed in a hall. In the evening, 20 to 25 people stayed in hotels.
According to a statement, the district administrator in the Rheingau-Taunus district, Sandro Zehner (CDU), called for people to stay at home: “My urgent appeal: Be sure to stay at home on Tuesday. Please do not go for walks in the forest either: there is an acute danger to your life Broken branches and falling trees.”
55 people had to spend the night in school
According to the DWD, the amount of precipitation in Hesse decreased during the night. “But the real problems are the trees that threaten to fall under the weight of the snow,” said a DWD meteorologist.
In Wiesbaden, 55 people, including 27 children, had to spend the night in a school. The fire department set up accommodation in the school building because school buses were no longer running due to the weather conditions, a fire department spokesman said. At times, 30 students and teachers were stuck in a comprehensive school in Bad Schwalbach. They were cared for and were taken home by the fire department late in the evening.
Due to the onset of winter, numerous streets around the Hesse state capital Wiesbaden had to be completely closed. There are also disruptions on some routes on the railway, as the West Hesse police headquarters announced. At times there was a power outage in some places due to fallen trees, including in Hofheim.
“Snow and the slippery conditions remain”
In the north of Germany and in North Rhine-Westphalia there were no reports of major ice accidents in the evening or at night. In Baden-Württemberg there are snow-covered roads at higher altitudes in the Black Forest and one or two closures due to trucks standing sideways, said a spokesman in the situation center. But there is nothing serious to report. In Thuringia, too, the situation is still relatively relaxed despite the weather, said a spokesman for the situation center there. However, he assumes that the situation will worsen in the next 24 hours due to further snowfall.
A meteorologist from the DWD said in the morning: “Winter is here”. A depression is causing snowfall in large parts of the country. “The coming days are cold, and a maximum of slightly plus temperatures can be expected during the day. The nights are frosty and repeated snowfalls, sleet and freezing wet conditions are to be expected,” said the meteorologist. “Snow and the slippery conditions remain.”