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Germany braces for more snow as extreme winter weather causes travel chaos

Blizzards and very low temperatures have caused chaos in parts of Germany over the weekend. And more is forecast this week.

Germany braces for more snow as extreme winter weather causes travel chaos
A snowy scene in Erfurt Thuringia early on Monday morning. Photo: DPA

After the severe onset of winter in many regions of Germany over the weekend, extreme weather is expected to continue on Monday.

On Sunday night, the German Weather Service (DWD) warned of heavy snowfall with around 10 to 25 centimetres of fresh snow expected in the first half of the day in the centre of Germany.

Northeast Hesse, Thuringia, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt are particularly affected. A warning for heavy snow was issued on Monday for these areas. Other states are affected by very low temperatures, ice and snowfall too, including Berlin and Brandenburg.

As this tweet by DWD shows, temperatures dropped sharply overnight, with the lowest recorded at the Brocken. in the Harz mountain range in Saxony-Anhalt, with -16C.

Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer, of the conservatives, advised people in Germany affected by the snow chaos to stay at home at the beginning of the week.

READ ALSO: Weird weather – temperatures between -7C and up to 20C expected in Germany

Drivers stuck in snow

The snow has resulted in trucks and cars becoming stuck in traffic jams on Germany's Autobahn network for several hours, while gritting vehicles cannot get through.

On some stretches of road, especially in the centre and east of the country, there's been chaos with huge traffic jams.

On Monday morning lorries were stuck on the Autobahn after after heavy snowfall, including in the north and east of Hesse on the A4 and A7.

“The situation is catastrophic,” said a police spokesman in Fulda in the morning. In some places, trucks and cars were stuck in traffic jams for over six hours.

Authorities have warned people against travel in affected regions, and have urged lorry drivers not to drive on the Autobahn.


Lorries stuck near Gera on Monday. Photo: DPA

Disrupted rail services and cancellations

“Snow and ice will continue to affect local and long-distance DB traffic in large parts of the country on Monday,” rail operator Deutsche Bahn said. Travellers have been asked to “use DB's numerous information channels to find out about their connection before setting off”.

DB offered refunds for people affected by cancelled services, or a chance to rebook the journey.

A heavy blizzard caused traffic chaos in parts of Germany on Sunday. In some places, more than 30cm of snow fell, in addition to drifts. The police and fire brigade were called out several times.

There were major restrictions on regional and long-distance rail services, while a Bundesliga football match had to be cancelled.


The DWD had last week warned of a winter weekend of extremes, with the lower half of the country seeing mild temperatures, and the northern half experiencing extreme winter weather.

On Saturday it remained fairly calm. As a precaution, all long-distance trains between Hamburg and Kiel, Hamburg and Lübeck and between Hamburg and Westerland were cancelled over the weekend

READ ALSO: What happened in Germany's catostrophic winter of 78/79?

On Sunday, however, weather chaos set in. Here's a rundown of some major incidents across the country so far:

– The police had to close icy roads and there were hundreds of accidents. Trains were cancelled due to frozen overhead lines. As we mentioned above, cars and trucks have been getting stuck in deep snowdrifts.

– A train with about 25 passengers was stranded at the Hundertwasser railway station in Uelzen, Lower Saxony. Rescue workers from the German Red Cross (DRK) arrived late on Sunday to provide the passengers with blankets and hot drinks. The passengers were not able to continue their journey until Monday morning.

– In Thuringia, a family of three got their car stuck in the snow. According to police, the vehicle came to a standstill near Sömmerda on Sunday evening. The family tried for hours to free the car from the snow and finally dialled the emergency services around midnight. The parents and their seven-year-old daughter had to be rescued by the fire brigade and were taken to an emergency shelter.

An icy train in Hanover, Lower Saxony. Photo: DPA

– In Braunschweig, the fire brigade recovered a tram carriage that had fallen off the rails due to snow. The wagon belonged to a special vehicle with a snow plough, which was being used to try and get rid of the masses of snow, a fire brigade spokesperson said. Rescue workers used a truck-mounted crane to lift the wagon, which weighed several tonnes, back onto the track. According to the fire brigade, snowdrifts up to 70 cm high were piling up in the Braunschweig area.

– In Duisburg, the fire brigade had to be called in because five houses directly on the Rhine were cut off from the outside world by the snowdrifts.

– Several cities in Hesse completely suspended bus services, including in Kassel and Marburg an der Lahn.

– In Berlin there are restrictions on the Autobahn network, with people told not to drive faster than 60km/h. Extremely slippery conditions are to be expected on the capital's roads.

What can we expect from the weather this week?

A low pressure area dubbed “Tristan” coming over central Europe and the central Mediterranean, together with high pressure area “Gisela” from Scandinavia, will bring further icy air to Germany this week.

READ ALSO: Why Germany is facing extreme winter weather this month

“After the snowy and windy weekend, the big cold snap is now coming at us from the east,” said meteorologist Simon Trippler of the DWD on Sunday.

Snow is still to be expected, although it will not fall as heavily as at the weekend, he said. On Tuesday, the snowfall will mostly recede, except on the coast. Low temperatures are expected for the rest of the week.

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INSIDE GERMANY

Inside Germany: Relief (and worry) as citizenship rules change and how is Euro 2024 going?

From the reaction to the citizenship rules changing to judging how Germany's hosting of the Euros is going and city surfing, here's what we're talking about this week.

Inside Germany: Relief (and worry) as citizenship rules change and how is Euro 2024 going?

Inside Germany is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in Germany that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

‘Finally’: Residents react to new German citizenship rules 

It’s been years – even decades – of waiting for many foreign residents in Germany. But on Thursday June 27th, the new naturalisation law became a reality. 

Under the new rules, people can apply for German citizenship after five years of legal residence rather than eight and even after three years if they can prove special integration achievements and have C1 level German. 

READ ALSO: Foreigners in Germany as long-awaited dual citizenship law comes into force

The other major headline change is that non-EU citizens won’t have to give up their existing passport to naturalise in Germany. That restriction had been holding many people back from becoming German. 

“Finally,” a few people said on social media, capturing the relief. 

Pavel Klinov said he felt happy about the news. “I have renounced my previous citizenship to become German and I am glad that many won’t need to do that,” he added on X.

“Submitted my application yesterday,” said another X user. 

“Now officially eligible to become a German citizen,” said Emma Storey. 

READ ALSO: How Germans are reacting to the new citizenship law

The new legislation allowing dual citizenship without restrictions also benefits Germans looking to naturalise abroad. They have previously had to give up their German passport.

One user on X said: “The law also benefits Germans who want to naturalize somewhere else (but stay Germans, which before today wasn’t allowed without jumping through a bunch of additional and often prohibitive hoops.)”

Despite the significant law change that aims to provide easier routes to integration for foreign residents, trepidation remains.

The reality of long-drawn out bureaucracy and years of waiting for applications to be processed lies ahead. 

“Feeling very happy about the change, but also likely it’ll be 2025 before they get to my application,” said one X user. 

Noah Alberts, said: “The problem for many people will be that it’ll take years for their application to even be looked at.”

Another X user summed up that it was great news but that actually becoming German will take a long time:

How are you feeling about Germany’s citizenship rule change? Let us know by emailing news@thelocal.de

PODCAST: Cannabis clubs arrive and could Germany’s dual citizenship law be reversed?

How is Germany getting on hosting the Euros?

Football, millions of fans and bagpipes – Euro 2024 has no doubt been a spectacle so far. 

But how is Germany actually faring as a host?

That’s a question we looked into this week as we reached the half way point of the tournament. 

Given the scale of the competition and the amount of visitors, things have generally gone to plan so far.

There have been real success stories – such as the blossoming friendship between locals and Scotland fans across host cities. 

It’s also been a family-friendly event with people of all ages joining in on the fun, including at the fan zones.

A very young German football fan gives a thumbs up at the public football viewing area in front of Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany on June 14, 2024 ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 opening football match between Germany and Scotland.

A very young German football fan gives a thumbs up at the public football viewing area in front of Brandenburg Gate, in Berlin, Germany on June 14, 2024 ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 opening football match between Germany and Scotland. HIRSCHBERGER / AFP

But there have been a few hiccups. Violence between fans has flared at different points, including between Serbia and England fans. Serbian fans also reportedly clashed with police in Munich’s Marienplatz earlier this week ahead of a match with Denmark.

Travel has also been an issue at times, with the city of Gelsenkirchen standing out.

Travel chaos was initially reported after the England vs. Serbia match, when crowds of fans were left waiting for trains for hours after the game ended, raising questions about German efficiency among the foreign press. 

Similar issues were seen again after the Spain vs. Italy match a few days later.

READ ALSO: ‘Welcome to Germany’ – Euro 2024 travel chaos raises questions about German efficiency

Overall, though, it’s been a fantastic time. Let’s hope the rest of the event goes smoothly and the positive atmosphere remains. 

Germany in Focus 

On the new episode of the Germany in Focus podcast we talk about the new cannabis ‘social clubs’, proposals to improve rural transport connections, the CDU’s vow to overturn dual citizenship, what citizenship means to foreign residents in Germany and how to deal with summer insects.

Did you know?

Germany may not be known as a surfing destination like California or Portugal. 

But did you know you can surf in the middle of a big city here?

Munich is home to the Eisbachwelle – a spot on the Eisbach, which is an arm of the Isar river, that produces artificial waves.

Surfers ride the permanent wave at the Eisbach in the English Garden in Munich. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Peter Kneffel

Located at the entrance to the Englischer Garten, locals and keen water sports enthusiasts head there whatever the season to try out some city surfing. 

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