Overview
- The German Weather Service maintains extensive ice and winter-weather warnings across much of the country, with storm alerts reaching Orange on parts of the Baltic coast including Rügen.
- Police recorded clusters of weather-related crashes nationwide, while Berlin hospitals treated more than 200 patients on Saturday and Potsdam’s Ernst von Bergmann hospital declared mass-casualty level 2 after handling up to 86 cases.
- Forecasts point to persistent freezing drizzle and slick surfaces through Monday, with severe nighttime cold in the south where Alpine valleys can drop below minus 10 degrees Celsius.
- Into New Year’s Eve, snow is expected in higher terrain such as the Alps, central uplands, Erzgebirge and Black Forest, while lower elevations face rain or drizzle that can freeze to dangerous ice.
- Meteorologists note regional variability and uncertain snow lines for the holiday, and coastal areas can expect blustery conditions with gusty winds and periods of rain or wintry mix.