Many icy accidents Heavy snowfall slows down traffic in southern Germany

Heavy snowfall in parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg has brought traffic to a temporary standstill. There are numerous accidents.

Heavy snowfall has caused chaotic conditions on the roads in parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. Within a few hours, the police in the southwest registered more than 200 weather-related accidents from the Black Forest to Lake Constance. A police spokesman in Constance said that traffic on the 81 freeway had almost come to a standstill in places due to the snowfall. Cars and lorries could hardly make any progress on the snow-slick roads.

According to the report, most of the accidents were fender benders. In the Black Forest-Baar district and in the districts of Tuttlingen and Rottweil, however, there were also several minor injuries. In the Allgäu region, there were around ten accidents in the area around Immenstadt and Sonthofen within half an hour in the evening, according to the Schwaben Süd/West police headquarters. Traffic was slowly coming to a standstill due to the heavy snowfall.

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DWD warns of "danger to life and limb"

The German Weather Service (DWD) issued a severe weather warning for parts of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg on Thursday due to the heavy snowfall. On Friday morning, meteorologists predicted that the snowfall in the Alps would subside. Otherwise, changeable and windy showers are to be expected, often with snow down to low altitudes. It could also become icy.

During the course of the day, the DWD expects only isolated showers of sleet, snow and freezing rain in the east and south-east, with more frequent showers elsewhere. In the lowlands, there will usually only be a little fresh snow and slippery slush for a short time. On the Brocken, meteorologists are expecting heavy gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour in the evening.

dpa