Storm damage and black ice accidents: traffic chaos in the district of Kleve!

Storm damage and black ice accidents: traffic chaos in the district of Kleve!

On January 8, 2025, the storm low "Bernd" in the district of Kleve led to a variety of traffic accidents and operations of the emergency services. A worrying extent of black ice accidents was registered on Wednesday morning. Until 8:30 a.m., the authorities counted 32 traffic accidents, which were mainly due to the moist and slippery road conditions. There were several injuries in the accidents, including a seriously injured in Rees-Halldern.

The most difficult incident occurred on Isselburger Straße when a vehicle got oncoming and collided with another car. One person was caught in the car and had to be saved while another person suffered minor injuries. These alarming events are part of a major problem that affects the entire district. The police have therefore urged to adapt the speed to the road conditions and to exercise caution.

breakdown of the transport infrastructure

The conditions also affected were also bicycle and scooter drivers. Several cyclists fell on the Kronestrasse in Kleve, and a scooter driver was slightly injured on the Moyländer Straße after a fall. In other parts of the district there were also serious incidents: on the B57 in Qualburg, a woman drove against a traffic sign, while a driver collided with a tree in Schneppenbaum. Two vehicles overturned on Weyersweg in Wachtendonk, but this remained without serious injuries.

The smoothness led to considerable difficulties in the morning rush hour, whereby the situation gradually relaxed at 9:30 a.m. However, this was not the only place where the storm "Bernd" could develop its destructive power. The consequences of the storm were also significant in Hessen, such as hessenschau.de There were several missions of the fire brigade because fallen trees and damaged high -voltage lines impaired the infrastructure.

weather forecasts and future developments

The weather forecasts indicate that the snowfall on Thursday could reach all of North Rhine-Westphalia, which would tighten the conditions again. Meteorologists warn of a possible continuation of extreme weather events in 2024, which are favored by climate change. Extreme weather conditions such as storms, floods and thunderstorms are increasingly common across Europe.

In 2024, around 12 storms were registered in Germany, including such destructive events, some of which occurred in the winter months, which only increases the concerns of road users and citizens. storm-chser.ch emphasizes that the frequency and intensity of such weather extremes in Europe generally increase.