Caution is advised: The German Weather Service (DWD) expects a risk of severe weather due to freezing rain and black ice in large parts of Bavaria. The Ministry of Culture in Munich announced on Tuesday that face-to-face teaching on Wednesday will also be canceled at many schools in the Nuremberg region, Lower Franconia, Lower Bavaria and Upper Palatinate. Here you can find an overview of school cancellations.
According to the Ministry of Culture, the following regions are affected:
Cities
- Aschaffenburg
- On the mountain
- Landshut
- regensburg
- Straubing
- Schweinfurt
- Willows
- Würzburg
district
- Aschaffenburg
- Altötting
- Amberg-Sulzbach
- Cham
- Erding
- Freising
- Fürth
- Hassberge
- Kelheim
- Bad Kissingen
- Kitzingen
- Landshut
- Miltenberg
- Main Spessart
- Mühldorf am Inn
- Rhön grave field
- Neustadt an der Waldnaab
- Neumarkt in Upper Palatinate
- Rottal Inn
- regensburg
- Schwandorf
- Straubing bow
- Schweinfurt
- Tirschenreuth
- Würzburg
- Weissenburg-Gunzenhausen
In view of the severe weather warning due to freezing rain, the Nuremberg electricity supplier N-Ergie has warned of the dangers posed by low-hanging power lines. “Depending on how the weather conditions develop, it is possible that a heavy load of ice and snow will cause the overhead lines between two masts to sag unusually,” the company said on Tuesday. Anyone who notices particularly low-hanging lines or damage on Wednesday “should definitely keep a reasonable distance so as not to endanger themselves.”
In Munich, the winter service is deploying all available forces for a special operation. Munich Airport fears significant restrictions; Lufthansa has already canceled numerous flights.
On the night of Wednesday and Thursday, the DWD expected freezing rain in almost all parts of the Free State and thus a “significant risk of black ice”. The meteorologists published a corresponding severe weather warning on Tuesday. Because of rainfall that sometimes lasts for hours, ice sheets could form on frozen ground – “with corresponding effects on traffic and infrastructure.” The DWD advised people to avoid spending time outdoors and traveling if possible. Drivers would also have to prepare for closures and should “carry blankets and warm drinks.”
Rainfall is predicted to occur across the board during the day on Wednesday. These will move further south on Thursday and turn more and more into snowfalls. On Friday there may still be a few snow showers in the north and east of the Free State. The maximum values are between minus three and plus one degree.
Initially there were only a few accidents on the roads in Bavaria in the morning. A spokesman for the Swabia South/West police headquarters reported five accidents in the area on Wednesday, so no one was injured. There were four crashes in northern Upper Bavaria, and here too, according to a police spokesman, there was no material damage. According to the police, there were initially no major operations on the slippery roads in other parts of Bavaria, for example in Franconia and Lower Bavaria.
It was initially unclear how the weather could affect rail traffic. “There may be delays and train cancellations in regional and long-distance transport throughout Germany,” said a spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn. As a precaution, the DB limited the maximum speed of the ICE to 200 kilometers per hour.
Train traffic between Murnau am Staffelsee and Oberammergau was suspended on Wednesday due to the announced freezing rain and the risk of slippery roads. DB Regio announced that there are two buses and a large taxi running as rail replacement services between the two Upper Bavarian towns in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district. This results in significant disruptions. The railway generally advises against traveling due to the winter weather.