Winter chaos in Germany: police missions because of snow and black ice!

Winter chaos in Germany: police missions because of snow and black ice!

On January 9, 2025, winter in North Rhine-Westphalia has a noticeable impact on traffic. The violent snowfall that started yesterday evening led to over 40 weather -related police operations until morning. The police are currently working on around ten further missions that affect the risk of black ice and traffic disruptions. This Situation not only exists locally, but is part of a larger phenomenon that extends over large parts of Germany, as [ZDF] reports.

in the city of Plettenberg there was a traffic accident last night at 9:50 p.m., in which four people were slightly injured. A driver lost control on Glatter and got into oncoming traffic. The situation remains tense in Werdohl too: Here at 7:18 a.m., a snow plow on Ascheyer Strasse slipped into a parking car, whereby a person was also slightly injured. In addition, there was another incident in Lüdenscheid at 7:55 a.m., in which a 76-year-old senior fell into the tracks with his vehicle at the train station because he did not recognize the edge of the platform due to the snow cover. Fortunately, he was not injured, but the tracks are currently closed due to the rescue of the vehicle. So far, in the Märkisches Kreis only property damage accidents as well as danger spots such as crossing buses or trucks have been recorded.

nationwide effects of the weather

Winter weather conditions have also led to disturbances in rail and air traffic in Germany. Numerous flights and trains were late, several hundred flights were painted. At Frankfurt Airport, for example, 120 out of 1,090 planned starts and landings failed. In Munich, 35 flights were canceled as a precaution on Saturday, and the airport BER also experienced around 20 unusual flights. The German Weather Service (DWD) warned of black ice, which moved from southwest to the northeast via a cold front and led to traffic accidents in various federal states. In particular, drivers who were still traveling with summer tires are affected.

tips for safe driving in winter

experts recommend using winter or all-year tires in winter road conditions. The profile depth should be at least 4 mm. In addition, it is advisable to adapt the pace to the weather conditions and to keep sufficient distance from the vehicle in advance. Especially at temperatures around freezing, there is a risk of black ice, which makes the road surface unpredictable.

Special caution is advised in ice conditions: drivers should avoid jerk movements, gently brake and, if necessary, lead more slowly than the statutory speed limit for visibility under 50 meters, such as with severe snowfall. In the event of a threat of ice rain, the car should not be moved in the first place, since the grip relationships are severely impaired, as the [ADAC] urgently warns.