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“Avoid driving in general!” Warns the weather service
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Germany prepares for extreme weather
Up to 40 centimeters of fresh snow, temperatures of minus 15 degrees: Germany is threatened with a snow roller at the weekend. The center of the country could be particularly affected. The south and west, on the other hand, are battling floods.
According to the German Meteorological Service, northern Germany is threatened with up to 40 centimeters of fresh snow on Saturday, as well as “huge accumulations of snow”, publishes an “official warning of danger”. As a precaution, the railroad is disrupting long-distance traffic on several routes.
AThis weekend, Germany is facing the biggest snow chaos in years, but only in the north. While the German Weather Service expects a snowstorm and freezing cold there, there should be a spring foehn in the south. Deutsche Bahn warns about train cancellations and delays.
The north is threatened with up to 16 inches of fresh snow, in addition to “huge snowdrifts” from storms. According to the DWD, the region from Emsland and Münsterland to the Harz region will be particularly affected from Saturday night. In the Ruhr area, Siegerland, in central Hesse and Upper Franconia, however, there is freezing rain from Sunday afternoon until Monday, which could result in a layer of ice several centimeters thick.
On Saturday afternoon, the DWD warned of extreme snowfall and drifting snow in parts of Germany this weekend through Monday night. Especially in northern central Germany, 15 to 40 centimeters of fresh snow and snow drifts of up to more than one meter can be expected from Saturday night to Monday night, the DWD announced in a “notice. hazard officer “. Roads and railroads could become impassable due to extreme snowdrifts. There is a risk of snow breaking. “Drive only in winter gear and generally avoid driving!” It read in the warning message.
Deutsche Bahn reported: “There may be train delays and cancellations.” Passengers who wanted to postpone planned trips for the weekend due to the announced start of winter in northern Germany could use long-distance tickets already booked “flexibly or free of charge” up to and including seven days after the end of the interruption.
Due to the forecast, there will be no long-distance traffic between Kiel and Hamburg, Hamburg and Lübeck and between Hamburg and Westerland on Saturday and Sunday, the railway said. The connection between Hamburg and Rostock / Stralsund / Binz is also affected by the adjustments. Here the hours are considerably reduced on weekends. Only individual intercity trains run. Deteriorations in regional traffic can also be expected, for example in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Temperature gradient of around 20 degrees between North and South Germany
Meteorologists speak of a “memorable event with a rarity” and draw comparisons to the winter of 1978/79, when the transport, supply and communication network collapsed during a snow disaster in northern Germany.
In January 1979 cars completely snowed in Loose / Schleswig-Holstein
Source: dpa / Werner Schilling
Germany faces unusual extreme weather conditions. As cold storms hit the north, there should be spring-shaped foehn in the south. Experts expect a temperature gradient of around 20 degrees between northern and southern Germany.
According to the DWD, the region from Emsland and Münsterland to the Harz region is particularly affected by the winter weather on Saturday night. In the Ruhr area, Siegerland, in central Hesse and Upper Franconia, however, there is freezing rain from Sunday afternoon until Monday, which could result in a layer of ice several centimeters thick.
In Lower Saxony, for example, fire brigade and disaster control, police, transport and rail companies, road maintenance and cleaning services were preparing for a challenging weekend. Forecasters expected the southern part of Lower Saxony to be particularly hard hit. People should be prepared for the fact that the power supply fails and the house cannot be left due to black ice, as Franz Molé, head of the DWD’s forecasting and advisory center, said.
Berlin offers additional places for the homeless
Snow showers and freezing temperatures are also expected in Saxony-Anhalt. “It starts off relatively calm, but we expect a very turbulent weekend,” said a spokesman for the German Weather Service (DWD). It looks similar in Saxony. The Harz National Park Administration has warned against entering the forests. A visit to the forest over the weekend could be life-threatening, according to a warning posted online.
And Berlin will also be cold: with temperatures down to minus eight degrees during the day, nights should be even colder. Therefore, the capital offers additional warm places for the homeless.
People from the south, on the other hand, can expect spring temperatures on the weekend. According to the German Meteorological Service, low pressure areas over Western Europe direct very soft air to Bavaria. Foehn is settling in the Alps, which means it is possible for temperatures of up to 15 degrees on Saturday. Also in Baden-Württemberg, meteorologists expect maximum values of six to eleven degrees.
