Numerous accidents Black ice and snow cause traffic chaos in Germany
Winter road clearance in Aalen: Even the pedestrian paths are cleared of snow.
Image: dpa
A truck left the road on an icy road in Aiglsbach, Bavaria.
Image: dpa
Slush on the A52 near Gelsenkirchen. In many places, the roads are slippery due to freezing rain.
Image: dpa
A van in an accident in a ditch near Hamburg.
Image: dpa
A parked car covered in frost on the Fichtelberg. Numerous vacationers took advantage of the snowfall at the end of the Christmas vacations for winter sports.
Image: dpa
An airplane is de-iced at Frankfurt Airport.
Image: dpa
The roads in the Eifel region near the Nürburgring were also covered in snow.
Image: dpa
Winter road clearance in Aalen: Even the pedestrian paths are cleared of snow.
Image: dpa
A truck left the road on an icy road in Aiglsbach, Bavaria.
Image: dpa
Slush on the A52 near Gelsenkirchen. In many places, the roads are slippery due to freezing rain.
Image: dpa
A van in an accident in a ditch near Hamburg.
Image: dpa
A parked car covered in frost on the Fichtelberg. Numerous vacationers took advantage of the snowfall at the end of the Christmas vacations for winter sports.
Image: dpa
An airplane is de-iced at Frankfurt Airport.
Image: dpa
The roads in the Eifel region near the Nürburgring were also covered in snow.
Image: dpa
First it snows in Germany, followed by a warm front that causes black ice across the country. The result: canceled flights, disruptions to rail traffic and numerous traffic accidents.
05.01.2025, 18:34
dpa
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- Winter weather with snow and freezing rain has led to flight cancellations, disruptions to rail services and numerous accidents on the roads in Germany.
- At Frankfurt Airport alone, 120 of the approximately 1090 planned take-offs and landings were canceled on Sunday, according to a spokesperson for airport operator Fraport.
- Most of the car accidents were minor, with only fender benders.
Winter returned to Germany at the weekend - and with it snow and icy roads. Canceled flights, canceled trains and numerous traffic accidents were the result. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of black ice in large parts of Germany at times. The reason was a striking warm front moving from the southwest to the northeast, causing precipitation to change from snow to freezing rain, the DWD reported.
Cancellations and delays in air traffic
The winter weather also had an impact on air traffic. Munich Airport and Frankfurt Airport reported canceled flights. There were individual delays at Stuttgart Airport. The capital's BER airport halved the number of landings from 5 p.m. from 40 to 20 aircraft per hour as a precautionary measure. While 120 flights were canceled in Frankfurt, Munich Airport reported only "isolated cancellations". The situation returned to normal in the morning, said a spokesperson.
Rail disruptions, especially on long-distance services
Deutsche Bahn also reported restrictions. "Due to winter weather conditions in the Frankfurt am Main area, there are currently disruptions to Deutsche Bahn's long-distance services. This is resulting in long delays as well as partial and canceled trains," Deutsche Bahn announced. The situation normalized around midday. According to Deutsche Bahn, other regions of Germany were only indirectly affected. In Hanover, freezing rain on the S-Bahn line network led to several switch failures and caused delays and cancellations, according to a spokeswoman.
Numerous traffic accidents throughout Germany
There were numerous accidents on the roads as a result of the icy conditions. In most cases, there was only minor damage and injuries. The majority of the weather-related accidents were due to people driving on snow-covered roads with summer tires, said a spokeswoman for the Freiburg police. She assumed that the severe weather warnings would deter many people from driving. "People seem to be driving sensibly," said a spokesperson for the police in Lower Franconia.
Police car overturns on highway due to black ice
A federal police car overturned on the A81 near Engen, northwest of Lake Constance, due to icy conditions. According to the police, five officers suffered minor injuries in the accident. The driver had lost control of the car due to the slippery road surface. The car was a total loss amounting to around 70,000 euros.
Car collides with patrol car at the scene of an accident
In Mannheim, a driver crashed into a secured accident scene. The 32-year-old crashed his car into a patrol car that was securing an accident scene with blue lights, hazard warning lights and the words "slippery". According to the police, the man had underestimated the road conditions. No one was injured.
Beware of frozen lakes
Dangers also lurk on frozen lakes. In Berchtesgadener Land (Bavaria), a 13-year-old girl went onto a frozen lake on Saturday - and collapsed shortly afterwards. She fell into the icy water 20 meters from the shore, but was able to pull herself back onto the ice under her own power, according to the local Red Cross.