dpa
Berlin
Central Germany was hard hit by Sunday’s winter storms, with up to 32 centimetres of snow, wind gusting up to 80 kilometres per hour, metre-high snowdrifts and disrupted rail and road traffic in large parts of the country.
Road-clearing services were stretched to their limits, as mountains of snow piled up in eastern Westphalia, while sleet fell in the Ruhr region.
Police closed numerous motorways said to be slippery as glass. There were hundreds of accidents. Cars were stuck in snowdrifts and in many places, buses came to a standstill.
One train journey after another was cancelled by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn rail service. Connections with the Netherlands were suspended and getting out of Berlin or Hamburg was particularly difficult, with many long-distance train journeys put on ice as snow-clearing crews struggled to keep up.
Links were cancelled between Hamburg and Hanover, and Hamburg and North Rhine Westphalia, and the fast inter-city train from Bremen to Norddeich Mole was one of several long-distance connections in northern Germany cancelled by Deutsche Bahn.
Fast inter-city trains were also unable to reach the eastern Leipzig and Halle region, the rail services said, citing particularly strong winds.
However, the situation at rail stations was far from chaotic, as many people had paid heed to the forecasts and changed their travel plans.
Emergency crews were on standby throughout the weekend as weather forecasters issued extreme warnings for several parts of the country.
Homeless people were particularly at risk, and during the night, rescue crews brought many in North Rhine Westphalia to shelters.
In Berlin, a camp where many homeless people live was cleared, leading to protests and calls for it to be reopened.
Meanwhile, a circus tent in Hagen collapsed under the weight of masses of snow. Police rescued seven horses, two camels, two goats and two llamas from the tent, and said they were unharmed.
The German Weather Service (DWD) spoke of an "extraordinary onset of winter.” The snowstorms are not over yet, either, meteorologists warned early on Sunday, forecasting more wind and snow through the evening.
Heavy snow was expected in northern North Rhine Westphalia, southern Lower Saxony, northern Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt in the coming hours.
Snowfall was also forecast for the evening in northern Bavaria, southern Thuringia and south-western Saxony, with up to 25 centimetres of fresh snow expected within 12 hours - albeit without heavy winds.
The weather caused traffic delays in North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony.
In Wuppertal, emergency crews rescued six people travelling in the city’s famous cable railways, in an operation involving ladders high above the streets.
Motorists in Lower Saxony were warned to expect slippery roads, snow on roads and drifting snow throughout Sunday and and advised to drive particularly carefully.
Across the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, police said a total of 222 car accidents had been registered since Saturday.
In eastern Hesse, lorries periodically came to a standstill during the night as some were unable to gain sufficient traction to carry their loads up hills due to the ice.
The weather brought traffic towards the central city of Kassel to a standstill from midnight until 4 am (2300 GMT on Saturday to 0300 GMT).
The city of Muenster - where 20 to 30 centimetres of snow fell within a short period early on Sunday - suspended its bus services until further notice, saying safe travel was impossible.
Berlin
Central Germany was hard hit by Sunday’s winter storms, with up to 32 centimetres of snow, wind gusting up to 80 kilometres per hour, metre-high snowdrifts and disrupted rail and road traffic in large parts of the country.
Road-clearing services were stretched to their limits, as mountains of snow piled up in eastern Westphalia, while sleet fell in the Ruhr region.
Police closed numerous motorways said to be slippery as glass. There were hundreds of accidents. Cars were stuck in snowdrifts and in many places, buses came to a standstill.
One train journey after another was cancelled by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn rail service. Connections with the Netherlands were suspended and getting out of Berlin or Hamburg was particularly difficult, with many long-distance train journeys put on ice as snow-clearing crews struggled to keep up.
Links were cancelled between Hamburg and Hanover, and Hamburg and North Rhine Westphalia, and the fast inter-city train from Bremen to Norddeich Mole was one of several long-distance connections in northern Germany cancelled by Deutsche Bahn.
Fast inter-city trains were also unable to reach the eastern Leipzig and Halle region, the rail services said, citing particularly strong winds.
However, the situation at rail stations was far from chaotic, as many people had paid heed to the forecasts and changed their travel plans.
Emergency crews were on standby throughout the weekend as weather forecasters issued extreme warnings for several parts of the country.
Homeless people were particularly at risk, and during the night, rescue crews brought many in North Rhine Westphalia to shelters.
In Berlin, a camp where many homeless people live was cleared, leading to protests and calls for it to be reopened.
Meanwhile, a circus tent in Hagen collapsed under the weight of masses of snow. Police rescued seven horses, two camels, two goats and two llamas from the tent, and said they were unharmed.
The German Weather Service (DWD) spoke of an "extraordinary onset of winter.” The snowstorms are not over yet, either, meteorologists warned early on Sunday, forecasting more wind and snow through the evening.
Heavy snow was expected in northern North Rhine Westphalia, southern Lower Saxony, northern Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt in the coming hours.
Snowfall was also forecast for the evening in northern Bavaria, southern Thuringia and south-western Saxony, with up to 25 centimetres of fresh snow expected within 12 hours - albeit without heavy winds.
The weather caused traffic delays in North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony, Thuringia, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony.
In Wuppertal, emergency crews rescued six people travelling in the city’s famous cable railways, in an operation involving ladders high above the streets.
Motorists in Lower Saxony were warned to expect slippery roads, snow on roads and drifting snow throughout Sunday and and advised to drive particularly carefully.
Across the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, police said a total of 222 car accidents had been registered since Saturday.
In eastern Hesse, lorries periodically came to a standstill during the night as some were unable to gain sufficient traction to carry their loads up hills due to the ice.
The weather brought traffic towards the central city of Kassel to a standstill from midnight until 4 am (2300 GMT on Saturday to 0300 GMT).
The city of Muenster - where 20 to 30 centimetres of snow fell within a short period early on Sunday - suspended its bus services until further notice, saying safe travel was impossible.