Germany shivers. At almost all measuring stations in the country, the temperatures on the third Advent were below freezing, as a meteorologist from the German Weather Service in Offenbach said on Sunday morning. There is no significant change in sight for the next few days – the nights remain frosty, and in some places there is still some snow at the beginning of the week. It’s not every year that it’s that cold nationwide before Christmas, said the expert. However, this is not an “extreme event”.
Those who are not afraid of the icy cold could enjoy the good side of the winter weather at the weekend: For example, skis and sleds were used for the first time this year in the Upper Harz Mountains after heavy snowfall. In Schierke am Brocken, three prepared toboggan runs and the cleared “Schierker Panorama-Runde” were available for winter hikers on Sunday morning, the Harz Tourism Association announced on its winter sports website.
The first cross-country ski runs were already groomed, at least on the Lower Saxony side of the Harz winter sports areas, for example in Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Sankt Andreasberg or in Braunlage-Hohegeiss. The first cross-country ski trails were also groomed in the Thuringian Forest, as announced by the Thuringian Forest regional association. There is currently up to 20 centimeters of snow in the highlands of the low mountain range – good conditions for winter hikers and tobogganing enthusiasts. The first lift went into operation in Oberhof on Saturday, as did a snow tubing facility.
Icy road conditions
Less gratifying: The icy weather conditions in parts of the country led to numerous road accidents, some with serious injuries. In the Upper Bavarian district of Ebersberg, for example, many drivers were “surprised” by the “sudden onset of winter in December,” the police said. Again and again, the emergency services still saw summer tires on the cars, and excessive speed had also led to accidents on icy roads. In North Rhine-Westphalia, the police blocked a section of Autobahn 44 in one direction on Sunday morning after several accidents.
Biting cold also has neighboring Switzerland firmly in its grip. According to Meteonews, the coldest night of the year so far and the coldest December night since 2014 was recorded in Zurich, according to Meteonews. The weather service meteorologists predicted another night with similarly low temperatures in the lowlands on Sunday. Sun was forecast for some ski areas for the next few days, but with double-digit minus degrees in some cases, also in the bitter cold.
The prospects in Germany: According to the DWD, severe frost in some cases around minus ten degrees can be expected for the coming nights. In the night before Monday and on Monday itself, the snowfall in the eastern half will initially continue, otherwise it will mostly remain dry. In the west and southwest, people can also look forward to longer sunny periods. During the day, the maximum values are widespread at minus five to zero degrees, on the Lower Rhine and along the coasts the values can rise to two degrees.
