No white Christmas - traffic situation eases

Forecast - No white Christmas - traffic situation eases

Most people in Germany will not have a white Christmas this year. The German Weather Service in Offenbach predicted on Saturday that it would remain wet and windy for the festive season. "It's been jinxed for years, snow at Christmas just doesn't seem to be possible across Germany", said DWD meteorologist Marcel Schmid.

The traffic situation eased somewhat on Saturday after the storm "Zoltan" passed over Germany. According to Deutsche Bahn, the storm damage has largely been repaired. "Regional services are running as planned again and long-distance services are returning to normal," a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson announced on Saturday morning. However, due to the upcoming public holidays, long-distance trains are very busy.

There was heavy traffic on the roads the day before Christmas Eve. "But there was no major chaos," said an ADAC spokesperson on Saturday. There were long traffic jams, especially in the south on the Stuttgart-Munich highway 8 and from Munich towards Salzburg. Traffic was gridlocked there for ten to 15 kilometers in the morning. In Saxony, traffic on the A72 near Chemnitz was slow for 22 kilometers.

Prolonged precipitation

The German Meteorological Service explained that although storm depression "Zoltan" has now moved on to the Baltic States, Germany remains under the influence of an air mass boundary. According to meteorologist Schmid, this should lead to prolonged precipitation in a strip from the North Sea to the Ore Mountains on Saturday. "In some places, it will snow eastwards down to low altitudes and in the Ore Mountains it will sometimes be stormy." During the night, the air mass boundary will move north-eastwards and a heavy thaw will set in.

According to the expert, Christmas Eve will be dominated by very mild weather with eight to thirteen degrees. There will be repeated downpours, some of which will be heavier, especially around the mountains. "The tense situation of continuous rain and flooding in some areas will continue," said Schmid.

According to the meteorologist, low pressure systems will continue to move across Germany over the Christmas holidays. The weather will therefore continue to be changeable. It will also remain very mild due to the influx of Atlantic air. The DWD is predicting highs of eight to thirteen degrees for Monday and seven to twelve degrees for Tuesday.

Slightly friendlier in the south

According to Schmid, the snow line lies beyond the peaks of the low mountain ranges. It will only drop again to around 1000 meters in the north and center on Boxing Day. The weather over the holidays will be somewhat friendlier in the south. "It will remain mostly dry there and the sun may prevail at times and in some areas."

It will remain very windy in Germany until Boxing Day, the meteorologist warned. There was still a threat of gale-force gusts at times and in some areas, with gale-force gusts in places. "Only in the course of Boxing Day will the wind from the west gradually run out of steam."

In view of the storm and rain, the ADAC warned drivers to adjust their speed and to be prepared for gusts, especially when overtaking. The wind could also be dangerous on bridges. The automobile club expected increased travel traffic until Saturday afternoon. According to the forecast, the roads should be quiet on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The ADAC expects the first return trips and more traffic from the afternoon of Boxing Day.

On Friday, the low-pressure system "Zoltan" passed over Germany and caused considerable disruption to road and rail traffic.