Overview
- DWD issued orange-level freezing-rain alerts from Emden through Bremen, Hamburg and Schwerin to Berlin, advising people to avoid nonessential travel and expect delays.
- Berlin firefighters logged about 80 ice-related callouts overnight as authorities warned of renewed freezing drizzle from southern Brandenburg toward the Erzgebirge and Thuringia later in the day.
- Multiple forecast models show a credible scenario for a late‑December to New Year shift to northerly or northeasterly flow with snow reaching low elevations and severe frost, though forecasters stress high uncertainty and expect clearer guidance by Monday.
- Some runs depict extreme nighttime lows near minus 20°C in spots, while others keep only light frost, underscoring the spread in potential outcomes for the first week of January.
- Seasonal guidance from NOAA’s Climate Forecast System points to a stable high‑pressure pattern and an unusually dry January over Central Europe, and climate researchers warn that a weakened polar vortex and a slowing AMOC could raise the long‑term risk of intense European cold spells.