Germany braces for blast of snow and freezing temperatures
An icy blast from the north is set to hit Germany at the weekend, bringing with it a fresh blanket of snow and temperatures in the minus double-digits.
If you've already packed away your winter jacket for the year, get ready to dig it out again: Germany is set for a wintry blast of snow and ice that could see temperatures drop as low as -11C.
After weeks of mild temperatures and torrential rainfall in northern and central Germany, icy winds entering from Scandinavia could cause temperatures to plummet for several days on end.
"We are facing an intrusion of polar air this weekend," explained wetter.com meteorologist Georg Haas. "It will snow a lot in some regions and then get bitterly cold in Germany."
According to experts, the fresh coating of snow won't only arrive in the higher-altitude regions. In fact, from Brandenburg to Baden-Württemberg, people in the flatter landscapes should see at least a little bit of snowfall.
On Thursday morning, colder temperatures had already arrived in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, which have battling heavy rain and flooding in recent days.
By Friday, however, this heavy rain is set to turn to snowfall, particularly near the Danish border and along the Elbe.
Closer to the weekend, the frosty chill will move south through Germany and is likely to bring snowfall between Hamburg and Berlin.
For residents of Berlin, as well as in western and central Germany, a mixture of heavy sleet, hail and snow will fall over the weekend.
READ ALSO: German flood-hit areas struggle with more rainfall
Temperatures will sway between highs of 3C and lows of -8C, so wrap up warm if you're heading out and about.
Once the polar blast moves the southern regions of the country on Saturday and Sunday, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria can expect to see the landscapes transformed into a winter wonderland.
A woman hikes through a snowy forest in Feldberg, Baden-Württemberg. Photo: Raja Sen/Unsplash
In Bavaria in particular, snowfall of between 20cm and 30cm is expected in the higher altitudes, but people in Munich will also see a smattering of white.
The picture is similar in Baden-Württemberg, where both the lowlands and the highlands will enjoy fresh snowfall over the weekend and into next week.
Though winter has returned to Germany suddenly, it's unlikely to exit as quickly as it came: weather experts predict that the cold spell and minus-degree temperatures could remain for the coming weeks.
Not all snow-lovers in Germany will see white flakes coating the ground this time around, unfortunately, but meteorologists say there could be even more coming around mid-January.
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If you've already packed away your winter jacket for the year, get ready to dig it out again: Germany is set for a wintry blast of snow and ice that could see temperatures drop as low as -11C.
After weeks of mild temperatures and torrential rainfall in northern and central Germany, icy winds entering from Scandinavia could cause temperatures to plummet for several days on end.
"We are facing an intrusion of polar air this weekend," explained wetter.com meteorologist Georg Haas. "It will snow a lot in some regions and then get bitterly cold in Germany."
According to experts, the fresh coating of snow won't only arrive in the higher-altitude regions. In fact, from Brandenburg to Baden-Württemberg, people in the flatter landscapes should see at least a little bit of snowfall.
On Thursday morning, colder temperatures had already arrived in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, which have battling heavy rain and flooding in recent days.
By Friday, however, this heavy rain is set to turn to snowfall, particularly near the Danish border and along the Elbe.
Closer to the weekend, the frosty chill will move south through Germany and is likely to bring snowfall between Hamburg and Berlin.
For residents of Berlin, as well as in western and central Germany, a mixture of heavy sleet, hail and snow will fall over the weekend.
READ ALSO: German flood-hit areas struggle with more rainfall
Temperatures will sway between highs of 3C and lows of -8C, so wrap up warm if you're heading out and about.
Once the polar blast moves the southern regions of the country on Saturday and Sunday, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria can expect to see the landscapes transformed into a winter wonderland.
In Bavaria in particular, snowfall of between 20cm and 30cm is expected in the higher altitudes, but people in Munich will also see a smattering of white.
The picture is similar in Baden-Württemberg, where both the lowlands and the highlands will enjoy fresh snowfall over the weekend and into next week.
Though winter has returned to Germany suddenly, it's unlikely to exit as quickly as it came: weather experts predict that the cold spell and minus-degree temperatures could remain for the coming weeks.
Not all snow-lovers in Germany will see white flakes coating the ground this time around, unfortunately, but meteorologists say there could be even more coming around mid-January.
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