Overview
- The Deutscher Wetterdienst uses a four-color scale from Yellow to Violet to indicate escalating danger, with Green showing no active warning.
- Violet denotes an extreme, life‑threatening event with large‑scale disruption, while Red signals severe conditions where staying indoors is advised.
- Orange flags marked winter weather such as widespread snow, significant ice or drifting, and the DWD advises limiting travel and preparing for disruptions.
- Yellow indicates initial hazards like light snow, rime or freezing wetness and calls for vigilance and regular forecast checks.
- Freezing rain that produces sudden black ice is highlighted as especially treacherous, prompting guidance to avoid journeys, monitor updates on WarnWetter or dwd.de, and follow local instructions; pre‑warnings are issued when timing or location remains uncertain.