Dangerous black ice hit large parts of Germany at the start of the week before Christmas. The German Weather Service (DWD) temporarily issued a severe weather warning for parts of all federal states. The gathering rain leads to an acute danger of black ice on the frozen ground, the DWD announced.
The DWD advised to avoid being outdoors as much as possible. Anyone who has to be out and about by car on Monday should adjust their driving style on the road. In addition, the DWD advised motorists to fill up their tanks and take blankets and warm drinks with them.
The train is running at full speed again
After freezing rain temporarily slowed Deutsche Bahn down on Monday morning, the company says the trains are now running at full speed again. “The speed limit has been withdrawn. Long-distance trains can run at full speed,” the railway tweeted on Monday morning.
It had previously been said that the trains would be slower this Monday due to freezing rain and ice formation. The company had initially informed that the maximum speed of the trains had been reduced.
As a precaution, lessons were canceled in many schools, flights were canceled at airports, parks and Christmas markets announced that they would not open, there were numerous car accidents, and Deutsche Bahn temporarily reduced the maximum speed of its trains due to freezing rain and ice formation.
16 people were injured in a bus accident on a slippery road in Dreieich (Offenbach district) near Frankfurt. The bus left the road on Monday morning due to black ice and crashed into a tree. The bus driver and 15 passengers between the ages of 15 and 50 suffered minor injuries and bruises.
In Thuringia, a spokeswoman for the situation center said there was a high number of accidents across the country.
Fire brigade in Hamburg under constant stress
Because of the black ice in Hamburg, there were more than 200 road accidents and falls on the mirror-smooth surfaces on Monday morning. The fire brigade announced this and spoke of an extremely high number of operations. “All of our ambulances are in constant use.” The fire brigade have therefore taken additional ambulances into service. The aid organizations and a private rescue service provider also provided additional ambulances for emergency rescue. In addition, a gymnasium has been set up as a central medical inspection point for surgical emergencies.
In this context, the fire brigade and the police urgently asked all Hamburg residents not to leave their apartments and houses for the time being and to avoid unnecessary trips outdoors: “Our urgent request: stay inside and only dial the emergency number 112 in the event of life-threatening illnesses or injuries,” it said.
Several schools in Lower Saxony closed
In Bavaria, it was especially smooth in Franconia: In Nuremberg, for example, a number of pedestrians slipped and fell, as a police spokesman said. The Nuremberg zoo was closed due to the weather so as not to endanger visitors.
The Rostock Zoo and the egapark in Erfurt, as well as many parks and facilities across the country, also announced that they would not open. In Chemnitz, for example, the Christmas market should initially remain closed on Monday.
In several districts and cities in Lower Saxony, but also in Bremen, face-to-face teaching at schools was cancelled. In the city of Osnabrück and in the district of Wolfenbüttel, garbage collectors stopped in the courtyard in the morning.
Black ice and storms also led to several accidents during the night in the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In Meinerzhagen (Märkischer Kreis), the driver of a gritter was slightly injured when it overturned. In Kierspe, also in the Märkisches Kreis, a driver slipped when getting out after hitting a garbage can with his car.
Disruptions at Frankfurt Airport
At Germany’s largest airport in Frankfurt, processes got out of step. In view of the weather, there are delays in operations, the airport said. According to an airport spokeswoman, around 180 of the around 1,100 take-offs and landings planned for Monday had already been canceled in the morning.
Even in Baden-Württemberg, which was hit by black ice last week, black ice was to be expected again. There is a risk of falling and accidents, warned the weather service.
The worst is still expected in Brandenburg and Berlin. According to the DWD, there was freezing rain between Prignitz, Havelland and Fläming on Monday morning, which spread to Berlin and other parts of Brandenburg at noon.
