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One death reported as snow and storms lash Germany

Rachel Loxton
Rachel Loxton - rachel.loxton@thelocal.com
One death reported as snow and storms lash Germany
Berlin's Brandenburg Gate early on Friday morning. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

One person is reported to have died and there have been several accidents as freezing weather, snow and storms have hit Germany.

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Gale-force winds and often heavy snowfall paired with icy conditions have led to numerous emergencies, particularly in the south and west of the country.

In the southern state of Baden-Württemberg, fire and rescue services were called out to hundreds of incidents across the state on Thursday and Friday morning following accidents caused by icy conditions or falling trees and branches.

In the city of Aalen, police said a 33-year-old man died after he was hit by a falling tree while out for a walk.

In the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia there have been several accidents on roads and reports of damage. 

In Dortmund, the fire and rescue service received reports of around 50 trees and branches that had fallen or were in danger of falling as snow fell for hours on Thursday and Friday morning. 

In most cases, the damage was minor, with parked cars bearing the brunt of damage.

In Siegburg, however, a tree fell onto a road and hit the car of a 24-year-old man. The man was trapped in the car and taken to hospital after he was rescued. In the Märkisch district, police said there were more than 210 weather-related call-outs by Friday morning.

Meanwhile, there has been some transport disruption. Operator Deutsche Bahn said there may still be delays and cancellations on Friday after weather-related disruption in Lower Saxony on Thursday. 

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What is the current weather situation?

The weather has eased in many places, according to police in Brandenburg, Saxony, Lower Saxony and Bavaria. However, they said there could be disruption due to snow and icy conditions continuing in the east of Germany. Snowfall was expected to continue until the early hours of Saturday.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), temperatures will drop to between 0 and -7C across the country at the weekend. On the edge of the Alps, temperatures down to -10C are possible.

Forecasters have also warned of icy patches on the roads.

Polar air will also result in cold but dry conditions in Germany on Friday and most of Saturday.

"While the last snow showers are still possible in the far east (of Germany) on Saturday, it will be mostly precipitation-free on Sunday," said DWD meteorologist Sebastian Schappert, adding that the wind will also continue to ease over the course of the weekend.

It will be sunny - especially in areas from Schleswig-Holstein to the Harz Mountains. "But even elsewhere, the sun may well make an appearance," said Schappert. Saturday will see high temperatures of -1 to 4C and frosty conditions. 

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