Overview
- Deutsche Bahn suspended long‑distance services in northern Germany until further notice, with the Hannover hub shut and flexible rebooking rules extended for trips dated 8–11 January.
- Regional transport saw widespread interruptions including halted or curtailed S‑Bahn and regional rail in Hamburg and Hannover, flight cancellations in Hamburg and Hannover, and Scandlines cancellations on the Rostock–Gedser route.
- Two people were killed in a frontal crash on an icy road in Bavaria, while police reported numerous weather‑related accidents and stranded trucks across several states.
- Schools closed or lifted compulsory attendance in Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Bremen and parts of Schleswig‑Holstein, Berlin eased rules and warnings, and Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena was closed over snow load, postponing a basketball game.
- The DWD forecast showed snowfall easing later Friday but persistent strong winds, deep cold and drifting into the weekend, as the BSH raised Baltic storm‑surge projections to up to 1.5 meters over normal in Flensburg.