As of: December 7th, 2023 7:40 a.m
The permanent frost in the north is over, there are often plus temperatures during the day. In many places all that is left of the snow is slush. The traffic situation remained calm on Thursday night. But the danger of slippery roads is not over yet.
According to information from various police situation centers in Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, the traffic situation was relatively “calm and tranquil” last night. There were relatively few ice accidents – without any injuries. On Autobahn 21 near Nettelsee (Plon district), a tractor-trailer slipped into a ditch on a slippery road. As a result, the motorway to the south had to be completely closed. A diversion has been set up. According to the police, the closure is likely to last for a few more hours and could lead to backlogs in rush hour traffic.
On Wednesday there were several accidents on motorways and federal highways, which resulted in closures and traffic jams. Current traffic reports can be found on the website NDR traffic studios.
There is a thaw today, partly sunny, especially in Lower Saxony
After days of permanent frost, there are now widespread plus temperatures in the north. While the maximum temperature in Husum is expected to be zero degrees, in Anklam one degree plus is expected, in Lüneburg two degrees and on the East Frisian Islands it could be up to plus 4 degrees. In addition, it should loosen up and become sunny in some areas, especially in Lower Saxony. The snow, which is still a few centimeters high in places, is likely to gradually melt away completely.
People in northern Germany should still expect slippery conditions until the end of the week, according to NDR weather expert Alex König. The reason for this: freezing slush, because temperatures are expected to drop below zero again, especially at night. Overall, the thermometer is expected to rise to up to eight degrees by the weekend. The tail end of a storm is expected in northern Germany on Friday.
Dangerous goods transports in MV had to stop
The police in Neubrandenburg pointed out on Wednesday that dangerous goods transports are not allowed to continue in winter weather conditions. At midday, a patrol between Stavenhagen and Malchin prohibited a driver who was transporting propane gas from continuing his journey and ordered a fine. Drivers of vans who have loaded gasoline, heating oil, propane gas or the like are well advised to stop in the nearest parking lot or not drive off at all, police headquarters said.
Warning strike by the road maintenance departments in Lower Saxony and SH
Drivers in Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein had to prepare for federal and state roads that were not cleared on a regional basis on Wednesday. As last week, the ver.di union called on road maintenance companies to take part in the public service warning strike. The state agency for road construction and traffic in Schleswig-Holstein warned of severely limited winter service.
The control centers in Schleswig-Holstein counted more than 130 ice icing accidents by Wednesday morning. Most of the time there was damage to the sheet metal. There were two crashes early on Wednesday morning on the A20 in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – once at the Rostock intersection, once just behind the Greifswald junction. Both accidents led to temporary closures.
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Winter service in Hamburg with 280 vehicles in use
The Hamburg city cleaning service was in continuous operation all day on Wednesday. 725 employees and 280 vehicles were on the move to clear streets and paths. According to the city cleaning service, there was a particular risk of slippery roads on bridges and side streets. “We got through much better,” said a spokesman for the Hamburg city cleaning department in the afternoon. By the evening most of the side streets were clear of snow.
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