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IN PHOTOS: Germany hit by sudden snowstorms and temperatures as low as -10C

Following a mild first half of January, snowstorms came to the Bundesrepublik this week, leading to slippery roads, but also better conditions for winter sports enthusiasts.

Published: 19 January 2023 16:28 CET

A school bus crashed into a street in Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia

On Thursday morning a school bus crashed into a street in Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Alex Talash

Following a mild first half of January, Germany saw a chilly turn this week, with the mercury dipping into the negatives around the country.

The temperatures, which dipped as low as -10C in mountainous areas and -4C at sea level, led to traffic jams and a few accidents around the country. But it also caused ski resorts to reopen their lifts, and people to bundle up and head outdoors into the white January.

READ ALSO: Winter weather to hit Germany with up to 10 centimetres of snow forecast

Here’s a look at some photos from around Germany on Thursday.

Emergency personnel stand on a slope where a semi-truck has slid into a car in Kierspe, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Markus Klümper

On Thursday morning a school bus crashed into a street in Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia.

On Thursday morning a school bus crashed into a street in Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Alex Talash

Many winter sports resorts, such as those in the Harz Mountains, prepared to restart the winter ski season. Several slopes around the country had closed as temperatures rose to springlike levels of 17C and higher at the start of January.

A snow cannon is in operation next to the Hexenritt chairlift on the Wurmberg in the Harz Mountains. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Swen Pförtner

In Germany, there’s an old adage that “there’s no such thing as the wrong weather, just wrong clothing”. Many people put on their down jackets and shoes with good tractor and headed outside.

READ ALSO: Surviving winter: 8 tips for enjoying the winter like a true German

A woman walks through the snow-covered park at Moritzburg Castle, the former hunting lodge of the Wettin dynasty in Saxony.

A woman walks through the snow-covered park at Moritzburg Castle, the former hunting lodge of the Wettin dynasty in Saxony. picture alliance/dpa | Robert Michael

A woman jogged Thursday along the Maschsee in Hanover. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Julian Stratenschulte

Not all animals seemed to mind the cold either, as evidenced by a few happy felines spotted scampering around in the snow.

Snow and raindrops fall on the fur of the cat Leo in Eppstein, Hesse on Thursday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sebastian Gollnow

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German communities brace for flooding as water levels continue to rise

As several countries in Europe face the devastating aftermath of severe flooding following torrential rain, communities in some regions of Germany are trying to manage rising water levels.

According to a forecast by the state flood centre, the water on the Elbe river has not yet reached expected peaks. In the city of Dresden, the Elbe rose above the six-metre mark on Wednesday. There, as well as in Schöna on the border with the Czech Republic, the flood peak is expected on Thursday.

There is a cautious all-clear along other rivers in the east and south of Germany. Further north, however, Brandenburg is looking anxiously at the Oder river, which is expected to bring more water in the coming days.

READ ALSO: Parts of Germany hit by flooding as torrential rain wreaks havoc across central Europe

Flood crisis teams are due to meet in Frankfurt (Oder), located at the border with Poland, and other municipalities in Brandenburg on Thursday. A level 1 flood alert was issued for sections of the river on Wednesday.

According to the State Office for the Environment, floodplains and meadows close to the banks are expected to start flooding, with the areas of the Oder village of Ratzdorf to Eisenhüttenstadt particularly affected.

The state office believes the highest alert level – level 4 – with a water level of around six metres will be reached in the next few days near Ratzdorf, where the Oder reaches Brandenburg territory.

Clean-up work underway in central and eastern Europe

In the flood-hit areas from Poland to the Czech Republic and Austria, the clean-up work has now begun, but the situation is only slowly easing.

In many places, the emergency services are still struggling with masses of water. Soldiers are also providing support in Poland and the Czech Republic. However, the authorities are not yet giving the all-clear. So far, more than 20 people have tragically lost their lives in the region due to the extreme weather.

In the Polish city of Wroclaw in the west of the country, the flood wave was not expected until Thursday night. As several tributaries that also carry a lot of water flow into the Oder between Olawa and Wroclaw, the possibility of flooding in the Lower Silesian metropolis cannot be ruled out, said an expert.

Flooding in Bresgau Poland

A drone captures the high water levels in Bresgau, Poland, on September 19th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/PAP | Maciej Kulczynski

Flood defences in Wroclaw have been reinforced as a precautionary measure. One third of the city of 630,000 inhabitants was flooded during the Oder flood in 1997.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to visit Poland on Thursday afternoon. According to the EU Commission, the trip is being organised at the invitation of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, his Slovakian counterpart Robert Fico and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are also expected to attend the meeting.

The talks are likely to focus on the question of funds from Brussels for reconstruction although the extent of the damage is still unclear.

With reporting from DPA

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