Weather - Snow and ice paralyze southern Germany
No flights, a canceled Bundesliga match, traffic jams and canceled trains: snow and ice are causing major disruptions in Bavaria. At Munich Airport, flight operations have been suspended until 6.00 a.m. on Sunday morning, as a spokesperson announced this morning. The Bundesliga home match between FC Bayern Munich and 1. FC Union Berlin in the afternoon was canceled.
Numerous railroad lines around the state capital of Munich had to be closed, and passengers in Ulm and Munich spent the night on trains. According to a Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman, those traveling by train in southern Germany will have to be prepared for severe disruptions until Monday. The heavy snowfall is causing long traffic jams on the highways. People in other federal states also felt the consequences.
Disruptions at the airports
According to a spokesperson for Munich Airport, flight operations were suspended until 12.00 noon. The winter service is working to ensure safe operations again. So far, around 320 of the 760 flights scheduled for today have been canceled. Passengers are advised to check the status of their flight before traveling to the airport.
The snow-related suspension of flight operations in Munich has also caused delays at Frankfurt Airport. Around 20 planes that should have landed in Munich were diverted to Frankfurt, said a spokesperson for airport operator Fraport on Saturday morning.
There are also some disruptions in other European countries. The airport in the Scottish city of Glasgow ceased operations on Saturday due to heavy snowfall.
Bayern vs. Union Berlin match canceled
Due to the weather chaos, the Bundesliga home match between German soccer champions FC Bayern Munich and 1. FC Union Berlin on Saturday afternoon (3.30 pm) cannot take place. This was announced by the Bundesliga club from Berlin and Munich's public transport company. Due to safety risks for all involved, it was decided not to go ahead with the match.
Due to the heated pitch in the Allianz Arena, the main concern was not the playability of the pitch, but the safety and, above all, the arrival of spectators, some of whom were coming to Munich from further afield.
Long-distance services in the south canceled - overnight trains
According to information from Deutsche Bahn, long-distance services from the Bavarian capital to Salzburg, Innsbruck, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Lindau have been canceled. The railroad is assuming that the restrictions will continue throughout Saturday. "We recommend postponing travel to and from Munich," said the spokeswoman.
As reported by a dpa reporter, a train coming from Stuttgart had to be converted into an overnight train at Ulm main station in the early hours of the morning. Deutsche Bahn also provided a train for stranded passengers at Munich Central Station.
Subway trains, buses and streetcars initially stopped running in the Bavarian capital on Saturday. In Augsburg, local public transport was also suspended. There were numerous accidents on the roads in southern Bavaria - according to the police, most of them resulted in property damage.
Kilometre-long traffic jams on Bavaria's freeways
The heavy snowfall caused long traffic jams on the highways in Bavaria. On the A8 towards Salzburg, a traffic jam near Munich already stretched for 30 kilometers, said an ADAC spokeswoman on Saturday morning. There are currently 96 traffic jams more than ten kilometers long across Germany - all of them in Bavaria. The A6 and A9 are also heavily affected.
The automobile club recommends temporarily avoiding unnecessary journeys and, if you do, then only drive with winter equipment, said the spokeswoman.
Rescue service in continuous operation - car driver dies
The police of Upper Bavaria South called on the population to stay at home. The police, rescue services, fire department and snow clearing services were in constant operation. Many smaller roads outside of towns were heavily snow-covered or blocked by fallen trees.
In Baden-Württemberg, a 54-year-old driver died in an accident on a snow-covered road. According to the police on Saturday, the man skidded and after a 180-degree turn in Emmingen-Liptingen ended up in the oncoming lane. There he collided with a van on Friday evening.
Up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow in the Allgäu
Although it was also frosty cold in most of the other federal states, no accidents were reported for the time being. Hamburg reported five centimeters of fresh snow. The snow clearing vehicles are in operation, it was reported.
According to the German Weather Service, the highest amount of fresh snow is expected in the Allgäu with 30 to 40 centimeters by Saturday afternoon. In Saxony, snowfall of ten centimetres is possible. In addition, frequent snow showers are expected on the North and Baltic Sea coasts and in the neighboring inland areas, which will spread to the northern low mountain ranges during the course of the day. Light permafrost is expected during the day. Only along the Rhine and in the Emsland region as well as directly by the sea will it remain temporarily frost-free in some places.
In the night to Sunday, severe frost with lows between minus 10 and minus 15 degrees is to be expected, especially in Schleswig-Holstein and in the south-western mountains.
High avalanche risk in Austria and Switzerland
The second-highest avalanche warning level is in force in parts of Austria and Switzerland following heavy snowfall. In the high altitudes of the federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg, warning level 4 has been issued, the authorities announced. In Switzerland, the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research reported that there was a high risk of avalanches in high alpine terrain in Graubünden and Valais.
In Tyrol in Austria, there were not only problems on the roads, but also in rail traffic. There were also power cuts in some places because trees fell on the power lines. The ÖAMTC traffic club reported deep winter road conditions, especially on the northern and eastern side of the Alps. Many main routes were difficult to pass on Saturday and there were repeated traffic jams and accidents. Freeways were also affected.
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Source: www.stern.de
