Freezing weather disrupts travel, causes accidents across Germany

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Severe winter weather brought widespread disruptions across Germany on Monday, with snow and freezing rain grounding flights, halting public transportation, and forcing school closures in several states.

Frankfurt Airport, Germany's busiest, canceled 79 of 1,035 scheduled flights. Winter service crews worked around the clock, with de-icing operations continuing throughout the day, airport officials said.

Deutsche Bahn, the national railway, reported delays and cancellations on major routes, including Berlin-Hamburg and lines around Stuttgart and Frankfurt.

In Berlin, the BVG transport authority suspended all tram service due to frozen tracks and overhead power lines. Bus and subway service ran with delays. Authorities urged drivers to use extreme caution and stay home unless travel was essential.

The severe weather caused hundreds of accidents nationwide, injuring at least 16 people—five of them seriously. In Baden-Wurttemberg's Heilbronn district, at least 15 trucks got stuck overnight in snow on a connector between the A6 and A81 highways near Stuttgart. The route was temporarily closed before reopening.

Schools in parts of Bavaria and Lower Saxony canceled classes, with some districts providing emergency care while others shifted to remote instruction.

The German Weather Service reported that icy conditions from freezing rain were moving toward southern and eastern regions. While snowfall will decrease on Tuesday, the main danger will be freezing wetness. Forecasters warned that a new low-pressure system arriving on Wednesday could bring heavy snow, particularly to Thuringia.