Warm front over Germany
Black ice causes many accidents – drivers die in black ice accidents – some schools remain closed
In many places like here in Solingen, the streets and sidewalks in Germany are as smooth as glass
© Gianni Gattus / DPA
The weather service warns: stay at home! A warm front with rain crosses Germany and causes dangerous black ice on the frozen roads. Schools remain closed in many regions.
Dangerous black ice hit large parts of Germany at the start of the week before Christmas. The German Weather Service (DWD) temporarily issued a severe weather warning for parts of all federal states. The gathering rain leads to an acute danger of black ice on the frozen ground, the DWD announced.
The DWD advised to avoid being outdoors as much as possible. Anyone who has to be out and about by car on Monday should adjust their driving style on the road. In addition, the DWD advised motorists to fill up their tanks and take blankets and warm drinks with them.
As a precaution, lessons were canceled in many schools, flights were canceled at airports, parks and Christmas markets announced that they would not open, there were numerous car accidents, and Deutsche Bahn temporarily reduced the maximum speed of its trains due to freezing rain and ice formation.
Man dies in slippery accident on A27
Even during the night, there were accidents on the roads in some places due to the weather. On the Autobahn 27 near Walsrode-Hamwiede, a 25-year-old driver was killed in an accident early in the morning, who had left the road with his car due to slippery roads.
16 people were injured in a bus accident on a slippery road in Dreieich (Offenbach district) near Frankfurt. The bus left the road on Monday morning due to black ice and crashed into a tree. The bus driver and 15 passengers between the ages of 15 and 50 suffered minor injuries and bruises.
In Hamburg there were more than 200 road accidents and falls on the mirror-smooth surfaces on Monday morning, the fire brigade said and spoke of an extremely high number of operations. “All of our ambulances are in constant use.” The fire brigade have therefore taken additional ambulances into service. The aid organizations and a private rescue service provider also provided additional ambulances for emergency rescue. In addition, a gymnasium has been set up as a central medical inspection point for surgical emergencies.
“Avoid unnecessary walks outdoors”
In this context, the fire brigade and the police urgently asked all Hamburg residents not to leave their apartments and houses for the time being and to avoid unnecessary trips outdoors: “Our urgent request: stay inside and only dial the emergency number 112 in the event of life-threatening illnesses or injuries,” it said.
In Thuringia, a spokeswoman for the situation center said there was a high number of accidents across the country.
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In Bavaria, it was especially smooth in Franconia: In Nuremberg, for example, a number of pedestrians slipped and fell, as a police spokesman said. The Nuremberg zoo was closed due to the weather so as not to endanger visitors.
The Rostock Zoo and the egapark in Erfurt, as well as many parks and facilities across the country, also announced that they would not open. In Chemnitz, for example, the Christmas market should initially remain closed on Monday.
In several districts and cities in Lower Saxony, but also in Bremen, face-to-face teaching at schools was cancelled. In the city of Osnabrück and in the district of Wolfenbüttel, garbage collectors stopped in the courtyard in the morning.
Frankfurt Airport reports flight cancellations
Black ice and storms also led to several accidents during the night in the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Meinerzhagen (Märkischer Kreis), the driver of a gritter was slightly injured when it overturned. In Kierspe, also in the Märkisches Kreis, a driver slipped when getting out after hitting a garbage can with his car.
At Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt, processes got out of step. In view of the weather, there are delays in operations, the airport said. According to an airport spokeswoman, around 180 of the around 1,100 take-offs and landings planned for Monday had already been canceled in the morning.
Even in Baden-Württemberg, which was hit by black ice last week, black ice was to be expected again. There is a risk of falling and accidents, warned the weather service.
The worst was still expected in Brandenburg and Berlin. According to the DWD, there was freezing rain between Prignitz, Havelland and Fläming on Monday morning, which spread to Berlin and other parts of Brandenburg at noon.