In East Hesse, the winter weather in the morning continues to cause massive traffic disruptions on the A4, A5 and A7. A police spokesman said there are currently several kilometers of traffic jams on all motorways. Nothing was working on Wednesday evening: several trucks blocked the lanes due to the weather conditions. According to the police, many people were unable to continue driving in the morning due to the icy road. The situation was “very problematic,” it said.
There were also disruptions on the motorways in the south of North Rhine-Westphalia. On the A3, traffic was backed up for over 20 kilometers from Lohmar to Bad Honnef. “Due to stationary trucks, cars can sometimes pass through, but it’s actually still – I’ll put it cautiously – a bit chaotic,” said a police spokesman about the situation on the A3.
Traffic was also backed up on the A4 between Düren and Aachen-Laurensberg for over 20 kilometers in both directions. On all the highways in the southwest, it happens from time to time that trucks get stuck sideways or can’t make any progress on inclines, said a police spokesman.
Many flights canceled
Due to the ongoing risk of ice, many flights were canceled at Frankfurt Airport. There are no buses in Cologne due to the winter weather. The weather situation remains tense in parts of Germany due to freezing rain and snowfall: The German Weather Service (DWD) is expecting lots of snow today.
The DWD is also warning of slippery roads in parts of Germany today. Black ice could occur from Saarland to southern Hesse, according to the DWD’s warning updated this morning. In the middle and in the extreme south there could be noticeable slippery areas. Drivers and pedestrians would also have to be prepared for slippery roads and sidewalks in parts of the north. Meteorologists have predicted snow in the center and south.
From the Eifel and the Cologne area via the Rothaar Mountains to Thuringia, people have to prepare for “persistent and sometimes heavy snowfalls”. The DWD expects “storm-like amounts of fresh snow” of up to 30 centimeters within 24 hours and warns of “significant traffic disruptions and the risk of snow breakage.” “Snowfalls repeatedly lead to traffic disruptions, especially in the lowlands,” observes the DWD.
The DWD also predicted snowfall for the southeast half, initially rain for the extreme southeast, later snow there too. Otherwise, according to the forecast, there will be isolated snow showers, with breaks in between. Sunny winter weather can be expected across Germany towards the weekend.
Big traffic chaos even at night
During the night there were massive traffic disruptions on several motorways in Germany due to the weather. According to an initial police estimate, around 2,000 people were stuck in kilometer-long traffic jams on the A3 in northern Rhineland-Palatinate. According to the police, traffic came to a standstill in both directions, particularly between the Bad Honnef/Linz and Neustadt/Wied junctions.
Because trucks got stuck on the snow-covered road, nothing worked on the A4, A5 and A7 in East Hesse. In addition to road maintenance vehicles, Red Cross support vehicles are on duty to provide drivers with blankets and hot drinks in the cold, a police spokesman said. According to this, several trucks in particular blocked the lanes because they were either no longer able to drive up gradients due to the wintry conditions or had sometimes slipped across the road.
There were numerous accidents during the night due to the persistent slippery conditions. When five vehicles collided on the slippery A44, six people were injured, some of them seriously. According to the police, several cars and trucks collided one after the other because they skidded or were no longer able to brake in time. The material damage was estimated at around 120,000 euros.
The DWD advised drivers to ensure that, in addition to a sufficiently full tank in the car, they have warm clothing and blankets as well as warm drinks and food. The German Alpine Club warned: “Heavy snowfalls can cause branches and tree tops to break off. Some of them fall to the ground, some of them are still hanging in the trees.”
Frankfurt Airport affected
Many flights were canceled at Frankfurt Airport. This is shown by a look at the arrival and departure boards on the airport’s website. “Passengers are asked to check their flight status on the airline websites before arriving at the airport and to allow sufficient time for the journey,” the site also said. “If your flight is canceled, please do not come to the airport.”
Due to freezing rain, aircraft take-offs at Germany’s largest airport were temporarily suspended. Fraport justified this by saying that the machines could no longer be safely de-iced before take-off due to persistent freezing rain. Individual planes have been able to take off again since the afternoon.
Rail: Train service started in the morning without any major disruptions
There are no major disruptions at Deutsche Bahn (DB) this morning. A spokeswoman in Berlin told the German Press Agency. “DB train services started in the morning without any major disruptions.” In some cases, however, there may still be restrictions due to the weather. Passengers should therefore find out about their connections in advance.
Due to the ongoing winter weather, the Cologne transport company buses are not running today either. A spokesman said early in the morning that the weather conditions did not yet allow safe operation. Delays should also be expected with the light rail. Bus operations had also been suspended in Bonn for the time being. The responsible Bonn municipal utilities announced that whether the buses would run again today should be reassessed in the morning.
School cancellations are expected today due to the weather conditions. Among other things, school lessons are canceled in the Göttingen district of Lower Saxony. The administration announced that night that all types of schools in the city in the Göttingen district were affected.
