The weather is turning to winter, and the first real day of winter in parts of Germany has something magical about it: many people were able to see powdered meadows and white roofs at least temporarily on Saturday. At higher altitudes, children and adults even happily slid down the snow-covered slopes on toboggans and skis.
Up to 20 centimeters of snow was measured in the ridges of the Erzgebirge, and on the Fichtelberg there was up to 30 centimeters on Saturday. “At high altitudes above 600 meters you can definitely build a full-grown snowman,” said Jens Oemichen from the German Weather Service (DWD). According to the DWD, there has also been a “quite considerable amount” of new snow in the Alps – and up to 25 centimeters is expected to follow overnight. In the Black Forest, up to 30 centimeters of fresh snow is possible.
The overview below shows the expected types of precipitation for today. It is provided by the portal Wetter.de, which, like stern, belongs to RTL Deutschland. By clicking on the graphic you can go to the provider and request further details.
However, it was a little less wintry-wonderful at night in Saxony. There was a winter thunderstorm here with snow showers and lightning. This led to many accidents – also because, according to the police, many cars still had summer tires.
The Chemnitz Police Department alone reported 29 accidents related to the weather in the Erzgebirgskreis and Mittelsachsen districts. Six people were injured, one of them seriously.
Winter also showed its treacherous side in other federal states: the Autobahn 8 in Bavaria had to be closed between the Bad Aibling and Irschenberg junctions early on Saturday morning. A truck crashed into a guardrail, causing around 400 liters of diesel to leak from the tank. Also in Selb in the Fichtelgebirge, Upper Franconia, a truck left the road on Friday due to slush and crashed into a tree.
Would you like to know where it is snowing in Germany right now? The interactive map below will show you. You can also view the forecast for a later date using the timeline at the bottom of the graphic. In the menu at the top right, the displayed level can also be changed to rain or temperatures, for example.
The service is provided by Windy.com. The makers use the model from the “European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts” for their representations and forecasts.
There were eleven further accidents on the motorway stretches in Thuringia in the night from Friday to Saturday, in which three people were slightly injured. Preliminary total damage here: 140,000 euros.
But the drivers themselves were partly to blame for this: some cars were still running on summer tires, according to the motorway police. In addition, in almost all cases the drivers did not adapt their speed to the winter road conditions. The police appeal: Drive more carefully and slower in this weather.
Sources: dpa / German Weather Service
