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Germany snowed in by extreme winter weather

A major snowstorm caused injuries, accidents, railway and football match cancellations across northern and central Germany. Forecasters say the snowstorm is set to bring even lower temperatures in the upcoming week.

  • Pedestrians walk along the Elbe River in Dresden

    Snow blankets northern, eastern Germany

    Pedestrians walk along the Elbe River in Dresden. In its warning, Germany's weather service warned of an "extraordinary onset of winter," and said the snowstorm has affected northern and central parts of Germany the most.

  • A jogger runs close to the Reichstag building in Berlin

    Extreme weather warning issued

    A jogger runs close to the Reichstag building in Berlin. DWD, the German Weather Service, issued an extreme weather warning, saying emergency crews have been put on standby across the country.

  • People snowboard and sled in Saxony

    Sled and slide

    Adults and children in the eastern state of Saxony enjoy a day out in the snow with winter activities such as sledding and snow boarding. The snow seen here near the town of Altenberg is noticeably tainted by Sahara sand.

  • Bundesliga-Partie von Arminia Bielefeld gegen Bremen gefährdet

    Bundesliga games called off

    Multiple football games were cancelled on Sunday due to severe weather. The Bundesliga game between Arminia Bielefeld and Werder Bremen was cancelled just hours before it was due to begin, while the second-division game between Paderborn and Heidenheim was also called off.

  • A regional train heds in the direction of Koblenz, in North Rhine-Westphalia

    Rail connections cancelled across Germany

    A regional train heads in the direction of Koblenz, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Large portions of Germany's most populous state woke up to a blanket of snowfall. Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany's train operator, canceled several routes around the country, and has offered refunds in the affected regions.

  • Deutschland Symbolbild Kältewelle | Allee in Berlin

    Reduced visibility causes accidents

    People walk along an avenue in Berlin. The storm, which has caused dense snow drifts and limited visibility, resulted in dozens of injuries and traffic accidents around Germany.

  • A motorway in Germany is covered by snow

    Frozen motorways see spike in accidents

    A tree branch is frozen is Siegen, in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Police closed several slippery motorways as hundreds of accidents were reported across the country. In NRW alone, authorities said a total of 222 car accidents had been registered since Saturday.

  • People pushing stuck van in snow

    Stuck in traffic

    Heavy snow fall and powerful wind across Germany has delayed traffic in a number of cities, posing a challenge for drivers trying to make their way around. Winter storms brought up to 32 centimeters (12 inches) of snow, wind gusting up to 80 kilometers per hour (49 mph) and meter-high snowdrifts.

  • Highway traffic jam lined with trucks

    People urged to stay at home

    Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer advised people to avoid travelling at the start of the week. On Sunday, rail and road traffic came to a standstill in many cities. Police closed motorways said to be as slippery as glass.

  • A woman stands by snow-covered stairs in Berlin

    Homeless at risk

    A woman stands by snow-covered stairs in Berlin. Several states in Germany have been covered with more than 20 centimeters of snow. Homeless people are particularly at risk during the storms. Rescue crews brought several homeless people in North Rhine Westphalia to shelters. In Berlin, protesters called for the reopening of a camp where many homeless people live before it was cleared.

  • Brandenburg gate gets a cleaning during heavy snowfall.

    Capital blanketed in white

    Berlin's iconic Brandenburg gate gets a cleaning during heavy snowfall. Berliners were seen on public transport over the weekend armed with sleds as they headed to hill-tops for a day of tobogganing.

  • A woman with an umbrella crosses the road in Hanover, Lower Saxony

    Black ice hits central Germany

    A woman with an umbrella crosses the road in Hanover, Lower Saxony. The DWD issued its highest warnings for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday. Black ice was also forecast for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia and Saxony.


  • Pedestrians walk along the Elbe River in Dresden

    Snow blankets northern, eastern Germany

    Pedestrians walk along the Elbe River in Dresden. In its warning, Germany's weather service warned of an "extraordinary onset of winter," and said the snowstorm has affected northern and central parts of Germany the most.

  • A jogger runs close to the Reichstag building in Berlin

    Extreme weather warning issued

    A jogger runs close to the Reichstag building in Berlin. DWD, the German Weather Service, issued an extreme weather warning, saying emergency crews have been put on standby across the country.

  • People snowboard and sled in Saxony

    Sled and slide

    Adults and children in the eastern state of Saxony enjoy a day out in the snow with winter activities such as sledding and snow boarding. The snow seen here near the town of Altenberg is noticeably tainted by Sahara sand.

  • Bundesliga-Partie von Arminia Bielefeld gegen Bremen gefährdet

    Bundesliga games called off

    Multiple football games were cancelled on Sunday due to severe weather. The Bundesliga game between Arminia Bielefeld and Werder Bremen was cancelled just hours before it was due to begin, while the second-division game between Paderborn and Heidenheim was also called off.

  • A regional train heds in the direction of Koblenz, in North Rhine-Westphalia

    Rail connections cancelled across Germany

    A regional train heads in the direction of Koblenz, in North Rhine-Westphalia. Large portions of Germany's most populous state woke up to a blanket of snowfall. Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany's train operator, canceled several routes around the country, and has offered refunds in the affected regions.

  • Deutschland Symbolbild Kältewelle | Allee in Berlin

    Reduced visibility causes accidents

    People walk along an avenue in Berlin. The storm, which has caused dense snow drifts and limited visibility, resulted in dozens of injuries and traffic accidents around Germany.

  • A motorway in Germany is covered by snow

    Frozen motorways see spike in accidents

    A tree branch is frozen is Siegen, in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). Police closed several slippery motorways as hundreds of accidents were reported across the country. In NRW alone, authorities said a total of 222 car accidents had been registered since Saturday.

  • People pushing stuck van in snow

    Stuck in traffic

    Heavy snow fall and powerful wind across Germany has delayed traffic in a number of cities, posing a challenge for drivers trying to make their way around. Winter storms brought up to 32 centimeters (12 inches) of snow, wind gusting up to 80 kilometers per hour (49 mph) and meter-high snowdrifts.

  • Highway traffic jam lined with trucks

    People urged to stay at home

    Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer advised people to avoid travelling at the start of the week. On Sunday, rail and road traffic came to a standstill in many cities. Police closed motorways said to be as slippery as glass.

  • A woman stands by snow-covered stairs in Berlin

    Homeless at risk

    A woman stands by snow-covered stairs in Berlin. Several states in Germany have been covered with more than 20 centimeters of snow. Homeless people are particularly at risk during the storms. Rescue crews brought several homeless people in North Rhine Westphalia to shelters. In Berlin, protesters called for the reopening of a camp where many homeless people live before it was cleared.

  • Brandenburg gate gets a cleaning during heavy snowfall.

    Capital blanketed in white

    Berlin's iconic Brandenburg gate gets a cleaning during heavy snowfall. Berliners were seen on public transport over the weekend armed with sleds as they headed to hill-tops for a day of tobogganing.

  • A woman with an umbrella crosses the road in Hanover, Lower Saxony

    Black ice hits central Germany

    A woman with an umbrella crosses the road in Hanover, Lower Saxony. The DWD issued its highest warnings for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt on Saturday. Black ice was also forecast for parts of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Thuringia and Saxony.


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