The onset of winter in April – it is expected to continue today: heavy snowfall has been announced for the low mountain ranges and Bavaria. The A7 was closed near Kassel. Yesterday there were several accidents due to the weather.
The winter weather in parts of Germany is expected to continue today. The German Weather Service (DWD) has announced heavy snowfall in the low mountain ranges – and has also warned of black ice. Especially in Bavaria According to the DWD, there could be traffic disruptions and a risk of tree damage due to the high snow loads.
Stuck and those left lying Vehicles on the A7
According to the police, in the morning near Kassel in northern Hesse, Autobahn 7 was completely closed in the north direction due to stalled and broken down vehicles. In addition, several federal and state roads in the region were blocked due to fallen trees. Clearance services and fire departments were working “at full speed,” said the police in Kassel. Officials “urgefully” asked people in the Kassel district and the northern Schwalm-Eder district to refrain from driving and avoid forests because of the risk of snowfall. There is danger to life.
Trees fall over due to snow load
Snow is also reported in parts of North Rhine-Westphalia: On Sunday night, several trees in East Westphalia-Lippe snapped under the weight of snow. As the police reported, this created around 20 danger spots. Local fire brigade helpers removed the fallen trees and cleared the streets. In Extertal and Leopoldshöhe, drivers drove their vehicles off the road in snow and slippery conditions and ended up in a ditch. Nobody got hurt. In the early hours of the morning, several centimeters of snow had fallen in parts of Ostwestfalen-Lippe, and even ten centimeters in Horn-Bad Meinberg, a police spokesman said.
According to the DWD, snow and slippery conditions can also be expected in Baden-Württemberg, even at lower altitudes. According to the DWD, there will also be frost and slippery conditions in places in Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland, as well as fresh snow in the mountainous region. The weather service also expected significant amounts of fresh snow in the Thuringian mountains. In Saxony Snowfall and slippery conditions can therefore be expected in the Erzgebirge. In the mountains of Lower Saxony, the weather service predicted only light snowfall for Sunday. But things can also get slippery in deep areas.
Several accidents with injuries
Winter weather had already caused several accidents on Saturday: a 65-year-old man was killed in an accident involving several cars near Ilmenau in Thuringia in a sleet shower and temperatures just above 0 degrees. Two other people were injured. There was a massive collision on Autobahn 70 in Upper Franconia when it was slippery. 29 vehicles, including cars and a long-distance bus, were involved. 15 people were injured.
In the Zwickau district in Saxony on Saturday evening, briefly icy roads led to several accidents in which four people were injured. In East Hesse in the Fulda district, four people were slightly injured in an ice accident. In Saxony-Anhalt, there was an accident with seven injuries due to hail and icy conditions on the A36 in the Harz district.