Seemingly endless mountains of snow, clearing vehicles in constant use, chaos in the traffic – a violent onset of winter has brought large parts of Bavaria to a standstill. The heavy snowfall and black ice led to accidents and long traffic jams on the motorways, and Munich and Memmingen airports temporarily suspended flight operations.
FC Bayern Munich’s Bundesliga home game against 1. FC Union Berlin in the afternoon has been canceled. Numerous railway lines around the state capital Munich had to be closed, and passengers spent the night on trains in Ulm and Munich. On the other hand, sledders, skiers and even some surfers had fun on the Eisbach in the English Garden in Munich.
Airports are temporarily suspending operations
Due to heavy snowfall, flight operations at Munich Airport are closed until 6 a.m. on Sunday. An airport spokesman announced this on Saturday morning. Passengers were asked not to travel at all. Before departures on Sunday, passengers should contact their airline to find out the status of their flight, the spokesman recommended. The winter service is in action to enable safe operations again.
A Lufthansa plane is parked at the snow-covered Munich Airport.
(Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa)
Allgäu Airport in Memmingen also stopped flight operations on Saturday due to the ongoing snowfall. The closure should initially apply until 3 p.m.
A Lufthansa spokesman pointed out that the closure of air traffic in Munich would affect other airports. Around 20 planes that were supposed to land in Munich were diverted to Frankfurt, a spokesman for airport operator Fraport said this morning. According to a spokesman, Nuremberg Airport also picked up individual aircraft that could no longer head to Munich.
Impairments in rail traffic
Anyone traveling by train in southern Germany must be prepared for severe disruptions until Monday. A railway spokeswoman said this on Saturday morning. Among other things, overhead lines were icy. Munich Central Station will no longer be accessible throughout Saturday. The train connection was canceled.
Train traffic has largely been suspended. Here is a picture of Munich-Pasing train station.
(Photo: IMAGO/Torsten F./IMAGO/Thomas Vonier)
The railway said: “All passengers who would like to postpone their trip planned for December 2nd and 3rd in southern Germany due to the onset of winter in southern Germany can use their ticket at a later date.”
Kilometers of traffic jams on Bavaria’s highways
A truck driver clears snow from his vehicle at a rest stop on the A96 motorway near Landsberg am Lech.
(Photo: Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa)
There were numerous accidents on the roads in southern Bavaria – according to the police, most of them resulted in property damage. The heavy snowfall caused long traffic jams on the highways. On the A8 in the direction of Salzburg, a traffic jam near Munich sometimes stretched for 30 kilometers, said a spokeswoman for the ADAC on Saturday morning. The A6 and A9 are also severely affected. The automobile club recommended temporarily refraining from unnecessary car journeys and, if so, only driving with winter equipment.
Emergency services in constant use – power outages
The police in Upper Bavaria South urged the population to stay at home. The police, rescue services, fire brigade and clearance services are in constant operation. Many smaller roads outside of towns are heavily snowed or blocked by fallen trees. Fallen trees led to power outages in parts of Bavaria. Many thousands of households in Bayernwerk’s network area are affected, particularly in the areas of Penzberg, Kolbermoor, Freilassing, Parsberg, Vilshofen, Eggenfelden and Regen, a company spokesman said. Service teams have been on duty since the night to repair damage to power lines and restore the power supply.
Castles and zoo closed
In Munich, the residence including the Christmas market remained closed on Saturday, as did the castles on the Herreninsel in Chiemsee and Linderhof Castle in Ettal (Garmisch-Partenkirchen district). According to the Bavarian Palace Administration, Neuschwanstein Castle near Füssen in the Allgäu was not affected. In Munich, the Hellabrunn Zoo remained closed, as did the craft fair. The zoo and zoo in Straubing and Augsburg also remained closed and public transport was temporarily suspended in both cities. Forestry Minister Michaela Kaniber (CSU) recommended avoiding forests in the south and east of Bavaria due to the risk of snowfall.
More snowfall expected
And it’s supposed to keep snowing: garden sheds in the Munich district.
(Photo: IMAGO/Mladen Lackovic)
According to the German Weather Service, the highest amounts of new snow are expected in the Allgäu region with 30 to 40 centimeters by Saturday afternoon. After the heavy snowfall in the Alps, slightly fewer flakes are expected on Sunday night, as meteorologist Robert Hausen from the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach announced on Saturday.