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Photo: DPA

Fresh snow to worsen road chaos

Published: 10 Dec 12 11:27 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20121210-46669.html

More snow is on the way, said the German weather service (DWD) on Monday, adding to the thick blanket covering most of the country and exacerbating travel woes amid countless accidents on the roads.

Milder temperatures overnight brought slush and melting snow to German roads in lower-lying regions, whereas motorists at higher altitudes are battling against black ice and snow drifts.

Police in Bavaria said there had been many incidents on the roads, with several motorists injured. A number of roads were closed on Monday in Lower Saxony and the Harz mountains after several lorries got stuck and some trees were toppled by the weight of the snow.

Click here to see more pictures of the weekend's snowfall

Meanwhile, Deutsche Bahn has put a speed limit of 200 kmph on their fleet, in what a spokeswoman said was a security measure to prevent damage to the trains.

But Frankfurt Airport reopened on Monday, after hundreds of flights were cancelled over the weekend when Germany's biggest airport was forced to shut down.

The brief rise in temperatures will be short-lived, however. Colder air will return by Monday evening as the current area of low pressure pushes south-east towards the Czech border, hitting Saxony-Anhalt with further snow and sleet storms during the day, according to the DWD.

Click here for The Local's weather forecast

Up to 10cm of new snow will fall overnight in many areas, with higher mountain areas seeing between 10cm and 30cm over the same period.

DWD warned that the new snow, coupled with strong winds in the south, will raise the risk of snow drifts, which along with ice and freezing rain could make life even more difficult for motorists.

Only the north and north-west is likely to escape the white stuff, which should fall as sleet or rain.

Temperatures could drop down to -15 at night in the Alps and Thuringia by mid-week, said the DWD. The bitter cold has already claimed at least one life, after a woman froze to death in a park in Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday night.

Has the storm hit where you are? We want to see your photos. Send them to news@thelocal.de

DPA/The Local/jlb

What do you think? Leave your comment below.


Your comments about this article:

16:31 December 10, 2012 by Sinister91
Yayy For Snow!! I wish we had some here in the States =( May you guys send us some? =P
18:33 December 10, 2012 by wxman
Please don't listen to Sinister91! This is the first time in 18 years Illinois hasn't had a first snow by this time. We don't want it! ;~)
19:19 December 10, 2012 by nadom
Dont listen to wxman, we need the moisture here in the western United States
19:33 December 10, 2012 by raandy
Nothing like a small snow storm here in Berlin to change order to disorder.
23:42 December 10, 2012 by coffeelover
What's the big deal? Snow happens every year, about the same time, except this year The Local writes about dire traffic consequence? Lmao, next thing someone will be writing about the end of the world in 2012! Oh, wait, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
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