As of: January 18, 2024 4:35 p.m
In Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, caution was advised due to slippery conditions. School lessons were canceled in the Göttingen and Northeim districts on Thursday due to heavy snowfall.
Since the new onset of winter, there has been black ice on paths, roads and highways, particularly in Lower Saxony, but also in the other northern German federal states. Drivers should drive with particular foresight and caution.
Only emergency care at schools in the Göttingen district
On Thursday, classes were canceled at all schools in the Göttingen district due to the weather. The the district announced on Wednesday evening. All types of schools were affected, including primary schools, secondary schools and vocational schools, both in the district and in the city of Göttingen. There should be emergency care for students at schools. However, school transport by bus was canceled.
Classes were also canceled at all general and vocational schools in the Northeim district on Thursday. “The reason is the extreme weather conditions,” the district announced on its website.
South Lower Saxony Transport Association: Significant restrictions
In large parts of the Southern Lower Saxony Transport Association (VSN), traffic was stopped on Wednesday evening until the end of operations. There was also a risk of significant restrictions, delays and cancellations in southern Lower Saxony on Thursday morning, the transport association announced on its website.
Further information
Goslar district: Up to 15 centimeters of new snow announced
Up to 15 centimeters of new snow was announced in the Goslar district. The winter services were prepared for this, it was said, and more clearing vehicles were used in Göttingen than usual.
Nighttime traffic jams on motorways in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate
Drivers, train travelers and airline passengers had to prepare for disruptions again on Thursday, especially in central Germany. There, extreme ice and fresh snow continued to cause traffic problems. There were sometimes kilometer-long traffic jams on the motorways in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate during the night. The Red Cross and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief provided the people in the vehicles with warm drinks, food and blankets. As a precautionary measure, Frankfurt Airport canceled around 300 flights on Thursday due to the ongoing risk of ice – around a third of all take-offs and landings.
AUDIO: Chaos on Hessian highways due to snow and ice (4 min)
Due to the onset of winter, rail traffic was severely hindered in parts of Germany on Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Deutsche Bahn said there were delays and cancellations in regional and long-distance transport. As a precaution, the railway limited the maximum speed of its ICE trains to 200 km/h. Travelers should postpone journeys if possible. Seat reservations could be canceled free of charge and the train connection has been lifted.
Further information
Hamburg: Flight cancellations and winter service in full operation
Air traffic in Hamburg was also affected by the weather on Wednesday – especially because of the conditions at the Munich and Frankfurt hubs. According to the airport, almost 30 Lufthansa takeoffs and landings were canceled in Hamburg. Many arrivals and departures to and from Frankfurt were also canceled for Thursday. Airplane take-offs were temporarily no longer possible at Frankfurt Airport on Wednesday due to freezing rain. Later, individual planes landed and took off there again.
The winter service was deployed in Hamburg on Wednesday with around 280 vehicles and 700 workers to clear main roads, bus bays and selected cycle and footpaths.
Further information
Schleswig-Holstein: A1 near Lübeck temporarily completely closed
On Wednesday morning, a truck left the road on the A1 near Lübeck and crashed into a guardrail. The road to the north was completely closed for two and a half hours between Lübeck center and Bad Schwartau so that the 40-ton truck could be recovered. Otherwise, there were no more accidents than usual on Wednesday due to the slippery conditions, police control centers said.
There was a fatal accident in Klein Bünzow in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Tuesday. An 86-year-old man was hit by a car while clearing snow.
Storms are followed by “best skiing and tobogganing weather”
According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the reason for the current severe weather situation in large parts of Germany was a so-called sharp air mass boundary that separates cold air in the north from very mild sea air in the south. According to forecasts, freezing rain should gradually turn into snow in the central parts of the country during Thursday. “In the north and the center the sun is increasing and we can look forward to the best skiing and tobogganing weather in the central low mountain ranges,” said the German Weather Service.
Further information
