Winter weather
Snow and ice slow down rail and air traffic
Numerous connections on the display board at the airport in Frankfurt am Main have been cancelled. photo
© Boris Roessler/dpa
It is uncomfortable in Germany: Meteorologists are predicting heavy snowfalls and black ice for large parts of the country. Some large airports and Deutsche Bahn have already reacted.
Slippery streets and sidewalks – and the worst could be yet to come: in the west and southwest Rain began to fall in Germany in the morning and made the roads slippery.
The police in Baden-Württemberg have already reported many traffic accidents. For the time being it was mostly just sheet metal damage. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Frankfurt and Munich airports. Deutsche Bahn also expects disruptions. Heavy snowfall is forecast for central Germany. School lessons were canceled in many places.
The German Weather Service (DWD) warned in the morning of a very high risk of black ice due to freezing rain in a strip from Trier and as far as Frankfurt am Main. The risk of slippery roads is very high in the affected regions of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg. Specifically, it said: “Great danger to life and limb due to freezing rain with heavy ice formation; widespread ice breakage.” Staying outdoors and traveling should be avoided at all costs.
The meteorologists also warned of slippery paths, squares and streets in the southern half. In Bavaria, according to the Ministry of Culture, schools in Middle Franconia remained completely closed. There were no major accidents in the morning.
The DWD predicted heavy snowfall for western and central Germany. In North Rhine-Westphalia, snow should start in the morning. From 11 a.m. a severe weather warning is in effect south of Aachen, Cologne, Olpe and Winterberg. Schools in the region remained closed as a precaution. Bus and train companies informed their customers that there could be massive delays and cancellations from midday onwards. When they woke up in the morning, many people in the affected districts saw an official warning on their cell phones.
Flights in Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin canceled
Travelers should prepare for delays and cancellations. This applied to traffic on the roads, to connections by rail and in the air. According to a Fraport spokeswoman, 570 of the 1,047 planned flights at Frankfurt Airport have already been canceled in advance. According to the airport, more than 250 of around 650 planned take-offs and landings at Munich Airport have been canceled. There were also isolated failures at the Berlin capital airport BER.
Rail travelers also have to prepare for restrictions nationwide. Deutsche Bahn wrote on its website this morning: “There may be delays and train cancellations in regional and long-distance transport.” As a precaution, the maximum speed of the ICE was limited to 200 kilometers per hour. According to the railway, employees in the affected regions were ready, for example to clear switches or to ensure traffic safety at level crossings. Clearance vehicles and heavy locomotives are available at strategically important points in the rail network.
In the morning, progress on the roads was slow or not at all. The police reported many accidents in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saarland. According to the police, there were around 30 accidents in Konstanz alone. In Freiburg, the police were also called to traffic accidents more frequently. There were a few injuries, but the incidents usually resulted in property damage.
Layer of ice: section of the A5 in Baden-Württemberg closed
The Autobahn 5 in Baden-Württemberg was initially closed due to an existing layer of ice between the Rastatt-Nord and Baden-Baden junctions. The motorway was closed in both directions until further notice due to the incalculable danger of the route, the police announced. In the hours before, a number of drivers had swerved on the A5 around Rastatt and hit the guardrail or other vehicles. It is still unclear whether people were injured.
Winter sports enthusiasts are happy
However, winter sports enthusiasts were happy about the white splendor in some parts of the country – for example in the winter sports areas in the Sauerland. In the past cold days, the snow cannons in Winterberg, for example, could have produced a lot of technical snow. If natural snow is added now, it would be ideal for the slopes, said the Winterberg ski lift carousel. “The conditions could hardly be better.” Meteorologists are also expecting a few hours of sunshine in the Sauerland at the weekend.