In large parts of northern Germany, winter has arrived again with sub-zero temperatures and snow. It can be slippery, there have been numerous accidents up until this morning, a driver died in MV. The flood situation remains tense in Lower Saxony.
Yesterday, cold, wet weather with snow, sleet and temperatures around freezing point moved into the northeast half of northern Germany. In Schleswig-Holstein, more than 70 traffic accidents occurred as a result of freezing water and snowfall. According to their own information, the police in the districts of Dithmarschen, Steinburg, Pinneberg and Segeberg were on duty from the afternoon due to ice accidents on motorways, federal highways and in cities. Seven people were slightly injured, a spokeswoman said. As a result, many cars slipped into ditches. There were often rear-end collisions in the cities. Trucks got stuck on highway entrances and exits or were unable to pass bridges because of the gradient.
Six accidents on the A24 in MV within three hours – one dead
There were also many slippery-related accidents in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: There were six crashes on Autobahn 24 in the Ludwigslust-Parchim district between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. A small child was slightly injured, but otherwise there was only damage to the bodywork. Emergency services were called to 41 accidents in the Rostock police headquarters area.
Three people were sitting in a small car that veered off the road to the right near Sülte (Ludwigslust-Parchim district) on Friday evening. By counter-steering, the car came back onto the road, where another vehicle drove into its side. The occupants of the small car were seriously injured and the 22-year-old passenger died later in hospital.
Hamburg: City cleaning service in action
Because of the snow and ice, more than 700 city cleaning employees have been on duty in Hamburg since one o’clock in the morning. Gritting vehicles are mainly used on main roads and bus routes. Sidewalks, bus stops and zebra crossings are also gritted and cleared. Despite the effort, the roads can be slippery.
Buses in Kiel are running again
In Kiel, bus service partially resumed this morning. According to information from the Kieler Verkehrsgesellschaft (KVG), the wintry weather conditions late on Friday evening meant that the buses had to return to the depot. The first buses were able to leave again shortly before 6 a.m. Passengers still have to expect delays and cancellations throughout the day.
The sun also shines on the weekend
According to the forecast, it may continue to snow in some areas today and therefore be slippery. In the south of Lower Saxony, rain or sleet is expected, which will only turn into snow later in the day. In large parts of Lower Saxony it remains somewhat milder with temperatures well above zero degrees Celsius. Northeast of the Elbe, however, temperatures rarely reach more than zero degrees, even during the day. From Schleswig-Holstein it should loosen up, followed by a mix of sun and clouds, which will continue tomorrow. There will only be occasional snow showers. “The high ‘Hannelore’ from Scandinavia brings us friendly and very wintry weather,” said Michael Knobelsdorf from the German Weather Service (DWD).
This will continue into the coming week, with temperatures continuing to drop. On Sunday night, temperatures of up to minus five degrees are possible in the east, and on Monday night even up to minus eight degrees. “This wintry situation in northern Germany will last quite a bit, at least until Tuesday, possibly the whole week,” said the meteorologist. Ice and slippery conditions can be expected everywhere.
Lower Saxony flood areas probably turn into ice surfaces
In Lower Saxony, the weather situation is “more complex,” as Knobelsdorf puts it. If permanent frost sets in there too, the flood areas would turn into huge areas of ice, said the meteorologist – he warned against entering them.
The situation in the flood areas remains tense. In addition to flooding and slowly receding water levels, soggy dykes and dams cause problems. In addition, the groundwater level is rising in some regions, which can lead to flooding even far away from bodies of water.
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NDR Info | 01/06/2024 | 07:00 am