Weather service warns of black ice in large parts of Germany

Offenbach Dangerous black ice haunts large parts of Germany at the start of the week before Christmas. The German Weather Service (DWD) issued severe weather warnings for parts of all federal states on Monday morning. Traffic obstructions are possible due to black ice, and roads and rails could even be impassable in places, it said.

According to the forecast, the foothills of a low south of Iceland will first spread to the west and then to the east of Germany over the course of Monday. “There is black ice rain. Afterwards, milder air gradually prevails, ”said the DWD.

Because the ground is frozen to a depth of more than 20 centimeters, the black ice situation can last for a long time. “The mitigation has now largely prevailed in western North Rhine-Westphalia, where the black ice situation is increasingly easing.”

Temperatures are rising this week. With the mild air comes rain, which makes the frozen ground slippery. “The center and the north are reached in the morning – of all things for the rush hour to roll in,” said Sonja Stöckle from the DWD weather forecast center on Sunday.

The black ice also disrupted the processes at Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt on Monday morning. In view of the weather conditions, there are delays in operations and flight cancellations, the airport said.

Already 176 canceled take-offs and landings

According to an airport spokeswoman, 176 of the around 1,100 take-offs and landings planned for Monday had already been canceled in the morning. Travelers were asked to find out before their flight whether their booked machine is starting and should come to the check-in counter as early as possible.

Flight operations have not been completely stopped, said the spokeswoman. However, there is initially a so-called approach control, which means that only a certain number of machines – fewer than usual – are allowed to land per hour. The Northwest runway was therefore closed in the morning. The winter service and gritting vehicles are in constant use. The necessary de-icing of the aircraft also leads to delays.

Even during the night, there were accidents on the roads in some places due to the weather. Four people were injured in a collision between two cars on a snow-covered road near Gaggenau (Rastatt district). A 34-year-old driver was trapped in the impact and had to be freed from the car by rescue workers.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, there were accidents in the Rhein-Lahn district with two minor injuries. In the district of Warendorf in North Rhine-Westphalia, the police counted seven weather-related accidents with property damage between midnight and 3 a.m.

One fears more accidents in the morning hours. “Perhaps one or the other can postpone their departure time a bit, at least until the gritting services are over,” said a spokesman early Monday morning.

Avoid spending time outdoors as much as possible

The DWD advised to avoid being outdoors as much as possible. Anyone who has to be out and about by car on Monday should adjust their driving style on the road. In addition, the DWD advises motorists to fill up their tanks and take blankets and warm drinks with them.

There are also consequences for schools, for example in Lower Saxony: In several districts and cities, classes will be canceled on Monday due to the “extreme weather conditions to be expected” at all general and vocational schools.

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This was announced by the districts of Celle, Hameln-Pyrmont, County of Bentheim, Leer, Osterholz, Stade, Wittmund and Vechta as well as the cities of Delmenhorst, Hildesheim and Wolfsburg – as well as the city and district of Osnabrück. In the city and district of Göttingen, there are no classes at primary and secondary schools, but not at vocational schools.

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