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10 pictures that show just how freezing Germany is right now

Spring is supposed to begin tomorrow, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at your thermometer at the moment. These pictures perfectly illustrate the big freeze.

Published: 28 February 2018 10:08 CET

10 pictures that show just how freezing Germany is right now

Yachts at a marina in Allermöhe, Hamburg. All photos: DPA

The mercury dropped to -13C on the Baltic coast on Tuesday evening, just one of the more extreme recordings that told a story of frost across the country.

“There is barely a corner of the country which isn’t being frosted over during the evenings,” a German Weather Service (DWD) spokesman said on Wednesday. Even during the day, temperatures are not struggling above zero at the moment.

On Thursday the weather is supposed to let up somewhat with the west of the country defrosting first. But even by the weekend there is a risk of ice on the roads in the south and east of the country.

A boat breaks the ice on the Baltic coast in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on Tuesday.

A boy plays with his dog on a frozen lake in Rhineland Palatinate.

The cold weather has its uses, too. A brewer in Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, uses it to create ice to keep the beer cool in his cellar through the summer.

The Spree river in Berlin was partly frozen over on Tuesday in the Treptow park area.

Even the mighty Danube river started to ice over.

A view of the Bavarian Alps from the frozen Stafelsee in Murnau.

Snow covers an ancient burial mound in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

A mass pile-up on the Autobahn in Schleswig-Holstein on Tuesday showed just how treacherous icy roads can be.

Snow lies all the way down to the Baltic Sea in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. (all pics: DPA)

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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