outlook
Joy and sorrow in snowstorms – wintry days
Skiers cavort on the slopes at Wurmberg in the Harz Mountains. photo
© Swen Pförtner/dpa
Ice and snow have led to numerous accidents on the roads in Germany. On the ski slopes, however, the balance of the weekend should be more positive.
The recreational athletes are happy about the snow, the drivers are shivering because of the black ice: the winter weather is again determining the mood of many Germans this weekend. In Bavaria, both came together in an exemplary manner.
For example, fresh snow fell on the peaks in the Allgäu Alps and in the Bavarian Forest. In some places it was icy, for example in Bodenmais or on the Ochsenkopf in the Fichtelgebirge with minus seven degrees.
With a more or less thick soup of fog, the visibility was moderate. However, many winter sports fans were not put off by this. Further south – i.e. in the Austrian Tyrol and in Carinthia – skiers could even look forward to blue skies.
Meanwhile, the winter weather on the roads in Bavaria caused less joy. On the night of Saturday alone, at least 91 accidents occurred on snow-covered roads in Bavaria, in which people were slightly injured. Four people were also killed in accidents, but in these cases it was initially unclear what role the weather played.
Numerous accidents on slippery roads
There were also numerous traffic accidents elsewhere in Germany, but only a few people were slightly injured. As the police and the situation centers announced early on Saturday morning, there was property damage on the slippery roads, trucks standing across and broken-down cars, some of which also led to blocked roads.
But back to winter sports: In the Sauerland, dozens of ski lifts should go into operation this weekend after weeks of thawing. And in southern Brandenburg, nothing should stand in the way of at least a sleigh ride. According to the German Weather Service, fresh snow should fall there until Sunday night. Berliners, on the other hand, will have to be content with mud and ice.
It is likely to remain cold and partly snowy in large parts of Germany on Sunday, with some areas having to be expected to be slippery again. In the far north it mostly stays dry. The daily highs are between minus four degrees on the edge of the Alps and four degrees on Rügen.
The German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach issued a warning of severe weather (level 2) for the edge of the Alps, southern Saxony and parts of Thuringia on Saturday.