The danger from black ice is decreasing nationwide, but heavy snowfall is expected in several federal states. The Bundesliga game Mainz against Union Berlin planned for tomorrow cannot take place.
After heavy snowfall overnight caused chaotic conditions on German highways, the German Weather Service (DWD) at least partially lifted its severe weather warnings in the morning.
The DWD saw a significantly lower risk from black ice and freezing rain. Precipitation increasingly turned into snow. However, the DWD still predicted heavy snowfall for some regions of Germany. Fresh snow is to be expected, especially in the southern federal states.
In Bavaria, up to ten centimeters of fresh snow could fall within twelve hours, and in congested areas even up to 15 centimeters, according to the DWD weather forecast. There could also be up to ten centimeters of new snow during the day in Baden-Württemberg, in parts of Rhineland-Palatinate, in Saarland as well as in southern Hesse and central and southern Saxony. Significantly less fresh snow was predicted for the remaining federal states, with a maximum of up to three centimeters for the north.
Hundreds of flight cancellations in Frankfurt again
Despite the somewhat relaxing weather conditions, the operator of Frankfurt Airport Fraport had to cancel more than 300 of a total of almost 1,000 connections in the morning. Hundreds of flights were canceled on Wednesday. In the meantime, the airport even had to stop all take-offs because aircraft could no longer be de-iced safely due to the persistent freezing rain.
Hundreds of take-offs and landings were also canceled at Munich airport on Wednesday. Operations here have returned to normal. According to an airport spokesman, there are no longer any restrictions. He didn’t expect any outages for the rest of the day – despite the predicted snowfall.
At Deutsche Bahn, operations ran without any major disruptions on Thursday. However, the company warned on its website about possible train cancellations and delays. As on Wednesday, train connections between Stuttgart and Paris and on the route between Frankfurt am Main and Paris were canceled due to the wintry weather.
Kilometers of traffic jams and numerous accidents
Snow and slippery conditions led to accidents and kilometers of traffic jams on German motorways, especially at night. In some federal states there were still disruptions in morning traffic. In Rhineland-Palatinate, around 2,000 people had to spend the night in their cars because several trucks had parked on the slippery roads on the A3, like this SWR reported. In some cases traffic was backed up for up to 20 kilometers. The fire brigade in the region provided the stuck people with blankets and hot drinks.
According to MDR, there was a traffic jam of up to 90 kilometers long on the A4 between Gotha in Thuringia and the Kirchheimer triangle in Hesse during the night, and around 60 kilometers on the A38. According to police reports, there were also more than 150 accidents on motorways and federal and country roads in which 37 people were injured. A 24-year-old driver died in an accident near Etterwinden in the Wartburg district early on Wednesday morning.
Accidents also occurred in other federal states as a result of the winter weather, but by morning the situation on the roads had returned to normal in many places. Especially in Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia, drivers still had to prepare for traffic jams and road closures in the morning.
Buses and trams are canceled
The weather also caused massive disruptions in local public transport on Thursday. In Aachen and other places in North Rhine-Westphalia, bus traffic was either completely canceled or severely restricted. Again SWR reported that the trams in Mainz also had to temporarily stop operating.
In several federal states, school lessons were canceled or took place online in some regions on Thursday. Those affected included the cities of Aachen, Bonn and Cologne as well as around ten districts in North Rhine-Westphalia. In Lower Franconia, Bavaria, schools in at least four districts also refrained from in-person teaching, and the same applied to all schools in the Lower Saxony districts of Göttingen and Northeim.
Bundesliga game has to be postponed
As the DFL announced, the game between FSV Mainz 05 and 1. FC Union Berlin scheduled for Friday was canceled due to weather conditions. It would have been a home game for Mainz, but the operator of the Mainz Mewa Arena had to close the venue. “The reason for this is the heavy ice formation on the lower tiers, especially in the standing area and on the journey routes, and the associated safety risks for spectators,” the DFL said in its statement. A rescheduled date for the game has not yet been set, but should be announced soon.