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Germany Starts Winter Mild With Ice Alerts, Coastal Gusts and an Uncertain Mid‑December Outlook

Short‑term hazards persist even as longer‑range models remain split on a mid‑December cold turn.

Overview

  • Large parts of the country entered December with gray, mostly dry weather and daytime highs around 3–9 °C, while nights dipped to freezing in places.
  • The Deutscher Wetterdienst issued warnings for frost and slick roads in the south and center, including Bavaria and parts of NRW, with localized glatteis from freezing drizzle or refreezing moisture.
  • Coastal and exposed areas face strong gusts, with the DWD forecasting 55–65 km/h at the North Sea, locally up to around 80 km/h, and up to about 70 km/h on the Brocken.
  • Northern states are turning wetter and greyer as a front tied to lows Axel and Björn brings frequent cloud and light rain through Thursday in Niedersachsen and Bremen.
  • Model guidance diverges for mid‑December: repeated GFS runs flag a potential cold and snowy phase around the third Advent, whereas ECMWF and several newer runs lean milder, leaving confidence low.