Winter has arrived with force in Germany's southern states this week as the region has been hit by thick snowfall that is expected to last into the weekend.
On Thursday evening, more than 200 road accidents were registered within just a few hours in between the Black Forest and Lake Constance, with traffic on the A81 coming to an almost complete standstill.
Most of the accidents only resulted to damage to the vehicles, though some passengers were slightly injured, police reported.
Snowfall showed no signs of letting up overnight on Friday, with 5-15cm of fresh snow falling in the southern parts of Baden-Württemberg and up to 30cm of new snow in the Black Forest region. This is due to cold polar air moving into the region from France and a low pressure front from the south.
In the Bavarian Allgäu region, around 40cm of fresh snow fell in the night. During the busy after-work hours on Thursday, police said they were called out to around 80 road accidents, with most occurring in Ostallgäu and Oberallgäu.
READ ALSO: Germany issues weather warnings for gale-force winds
Amid the heavy snowfall and icy roads, lorries were left stranded on steep inclines, while cars slid into one another and ended up in ditches.
In Upper Bavaria, no major incidents were reported, though snow continued to fall throughout the night and into Friday morning.
Traffic was still moving slowly on several of the main roads on Friday morning due to the slippery conditions, with the B17 and A95 among the worst-affected.
Regional transport in the region - in particular, rail connections to Kempten, Buchloe, Memmingen and Immenstadt - are likely to be hit by delays and cancellations all day on Friday, Deutsche Bahn announced.
There are also delays on the Munich S-Bahn network due to the tough weather conditions.
DB also said on Friday that long-distance services between Stuttgart, Frankfurt am Main and Paris would not be running due to extreme winter weather in France.
Sunshine to arrive on Saturday
Though DWD lifted its extreme weather warning on Friday morning, meteorologists continue to warn of frosty and wintery conditions.
Snow drifts and permafrost are expected in the higher-altitude regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, including the Allgäu, the Neckar Valley and the Black Forest.
Travellers will also have to battle gale-force gusts of up to 85km up in the mountains, with strong winds expected to last into Saturday night.
However, the weekend is likely to bring with it a spell of slightly sunny and dry weather.
Temperatures will creep up to 6C on Saturday as the skies clear and rainshowers make way for a burst of sunshine. On Sunday, temperatures could even climb as high as 14C, DWD reports.
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