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Trains on the snow-covered tracks in front of Munich Central Station (archive photo from 2019)
Photo: Matthias Balk/ dpa
Snow and ice have caused obstructions and standstill on the roads and railways in southern Bavaria. Numerous railway lines around the state capital Munich had to be closed on Saturday night, according to Deutsche Bahn. Train services to and from Munich's main station were initially suspended. In Ulm and Munich, passengers had to spend the night on trains.
Subways, buses and trams also stopped running in the Bavarian capital at first. There were numerous accidents on the roads in southern Bavaria - most of them were property damage, according to the police. According to the German Weather Service, the wintry weather will remain for the time being. In the south and southeast, heavy snowfall is expected to continue until the afternoon.
The police in Upper Bavaria are calling on citizens to stay at home.
The police of Upper Bavaria South asked the population to stay at home. Police, ambulance service, fire brigade and clearance services are in continuous operation. Many smaller roads outside towns are heavily snowed or blocked by fallen trees. The removal of traffic obstacles will continue at least until late morning. Train traffic is severely restricted by fallen trees and trees that have fallen on overhead lines. If you have a breakdown or accident, you have to expect delays when you get help.
As a dpa reporter reported, in the early morning hours a train coming from Stuttgart had to be converted into an overnight train at Ulm Central Station. Deutsche Bahn also provided a train for stranded passengers at Munich's main train station. According to a DB spokeswoman, it was initially unclear how many trains had to cancel their journeys for the time being.
Air traffic temporarily suspended at Munich Airport
Flight operations at Munich Airport are expected to be suspended until 12 noon due to heavy snowfall. As a spokesman announced on Saturday morning, the winter service is in action to enable safe operation again.
Up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow in the Allgäu
There was also a lot of snowfall in Baden-Württemberg. Near Stuttgart, the fresh snow caused trees to fall, as the police reported. In the other federal states, it was mostly frosty cold, but no accidents were reported. Hamburg reported five centimetres of fresh snow. The clearing vehicles were in use, it said.
According to the German Weather Service, the highest amounts of fresh snow are expected in the Allgäu with 30 to 40 centimeters by Saturday afternoon. In Saxony, fresh snow amounts of ten centimetres are possible. In addition, frequent snow showers are expected on the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts as well as in the adjacent inland, which will spread to the northern low mountain range in the course of the day. During the day, light permafrost is expected over a wide area. Only along the Rhine and in the Emsland as well as directly by the sea will it temporarily remain frost-free in some places.
In the night to Sunday, severe frost with lows between minus 10 and minus 15 degrees must be expected, especially in Schleswig-Holstein and the southwestern highlands, it said.