Winter chaos paralyzes parts of southern Germany - air and rail traffic suspended
The situation in other regions of Upper Bavaria and parts of Lower Bavaria was similar to that in Munich. In Baden-Württemberg, Hesse and parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, heavy snowfall also led to traffic disruptions and numerous police and fire department deployments.
In many places, the authorities called on people to stay at home for safety reasons. The Munich police, for example, "urgently advised citizens to avoid unnecessary journeys and only travel by car if it is unavoidable".
The German Weather Service (DWD) spoke of "storm-like" snowfall with fresh snow depths of 20 to 50 centimetres in some places. According to the information, the snowfall should gradually decrease from the north-west during the course of the day, with the snowfall in the Alps and the high altitudes of the Bavarian Forest expected to stop during the night.
On Sunday, an intermediate high in southern Germany is expected to let the sun shine over the snowy landscapes - and entice day-trippers to go outside. However, the fire department advised people to watch out for falling objects and snow around houses and trees: The wet and heavy fresh snow posed considerable dangers.
According to the DWS, there was more than 75 centimetres of snow in places in the Bavarian Alpine foothills on Saturday, and more than a meter in the Bavarian Forest in some places. In the Fichtelgebirge and the Black Forest, the snow also piled up to more than half a meter. There was permafrost almost everywhere in Germany, with only the Rhine Valley and Emsland being frost-free, according to the DWD.
Flight operations at Munich Airport were initially suspended until midday on Saturday, and then extended until 06:00 on Sunday morning. According to a spokesperson, 760 flights were affected. "The reason for this is the persistent heavy snowfall yesterday, during the night and this morning," the airport said in a statement. The winter service is working continuously to enable safe flight operations again.
The onset of winter also caused major disruptions to rail traffic. Long-distance services were suspended in the greater Munich area, the railroad company announced on Saturday morning. Munich Central Station was temporarily closed on Saturday. "We recommend postponing travel to and from Munich," explained the railroad company.
Rail services also came to a standstill in the Munich city area. "Bus, streetcar and S-Bahn services have unfortunately been suspended for today for safety reasons due to the weather", announced the Munich Transport Company (MVG). Cancellations and disruptions could also occur on the subway.
The Lower Bavarian police reported around 350 weather-related incidents from Friday evening to Saturday morning. There were five traffic accidents with personal injuries, "although fortunately the injuries were minor to moderate at best", according to the police. There were numerous obstructions on the roads due to slippery snow and broken snow, and cars and trucks broke down in many places.
FC Bayern's match against Union Berlin scheduled for the afternoon in Munich was canceled. The German Football League (DFL) announced that the owner of the Allianz Arena had "closed the stadium for today's match due to persistent heavy snowfall".
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Source: www.stern.de
