Overview
- Much of the country spends Christmas under persistent frost with many sunny spells, while regions such as Schwaben and Oberbayern remain under stubborn high fog and higher terrain holds onto snow.
- The DWD warns of widespread frost, icy roads and strong to stormy gusts on ridges, with Bavaria and the eastern and northern Mittelgebirge highlighted for wind up to around 70 km/h.
- Regional forecasts note daytime values often below freezing and very cold nights, including -7 to -11 °C in parts of Thuringia and down to around -10 °C in some Alpine valleys, with glätte risk for motorists in Hesse and elsewhere.
- Meteorologists say this Christmas period is the coldest in about 15 years in Germany, even as snowfall stays mostly confined to higher elevations.
- Outlooks diverge for the turn of the year: European guidance favors a cold, largely dry January, while U.S. model runs point to Arctic inflow with multi‑day snow, locally up to roughly 20 cm, and severe nighttime minima, though forecasters stress high uncertainty.