Accidents and traffic delays occur in many regions of Germany due to icy roads. Because precipitation has frozen to the frozen ground as a result of the cold temperatures, dangerous black ice has formed in large parts of Germany. The German Weather Service (DWD) therefore issued severe weather warnings for areas in all federal states at the start of the week before Christmas.
According to this, the foothills of a low south of Iceland first spread to western and later also to eastern Germany. In Bavaria, the DWD expects freezing rain, especially in Franconia. In the course of the day it will be warmer across Germany. Then let the risk of ice decrease.
Before that, roads and rails may be impassable in places due to the black ice. For example, there were numerous accidents in Lower Saxony and Bremen. A 25-year-old driver died early in the morning on Autobahn 27 near Walsrode-Hamwiede. The car left the road due to slippery roads, said a spokesman for the Langwedel motorway police. After the accident, the freeway was first full and then partially blocked until the morning.
Four people were injured in a collision between two cars on a snow-covered road in the Rastatt district of Baden-Württemberg. A 34-year-old driver was trapped in the impact and had to be freed from the car by rescue workers. In Rhineland-Palatinate there were accidents in the Rhein-Lahn district with two minor injuries. There were also numerous accidents in other places in Germany, but mostly only with body damage.
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 advises motorists to fill up their tanks and take blankets and warm drinks with them.
Failures at schools and at Frankfurt Airport
The black ice has consequences not only for working people, but also for children: In some places, the schools remained closed because of the slippery streets, for example in Düsseldorf and in several districts and cities in Lower Saxony. Pupils in Bremerhaven only have to go to school after the third lesson. Lessons were also partially canceled in the Bavarian district of Bad Kissingen.
The Deutsche Bahn trains are running slower than usual because of the ice formation. The maximum speed of the trains has been reduced until further notice, the company informed its passengers: “Please expect delays.” In addition, the railway asked for particular caution when boarding and alighting as well as while staying on the platforms, which are currently icy in many places: “Clearance employees are on the move.”
There were also problems at Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt am Main: the airport announced that there were delays and flight cancellations due to the weather conditions. According to an airport spokeswoman, 176 of the approximately 1,100 take-offs and landings planned for Monday had already been canceled in the morning. Flight operations have not been completely stopped, said the spokeswoman. However, only a certain number of machines – fewer than usual – are allowed to land per hour. The Northwest runway was therefore closed in the morning.