Large parts of Lower Saxony are snowed in overnight. The onset of winter is particularly noticeable in rail transport. But there are also significant restrictions on the streets.
Snow drifts have made the Salzgitter motorway triangle impassable in places. The traffic to the north will therefore be diverted from the Autobahn 7 at the Bockenem junction, as the Hildesheim autobahn police announced. Several cars and trucks got stuck, the clearance services could hardly keep up.
Onset of winter in Lower Saxony: special broadcasts on NDR
Today NDR television reports on the onset of winter in three special programs. Estimated broadcast times:
2.30 p.m. – 2.40 p.m.
5.30 p.m. – 5.40 p.m.
8.15pm – 8.25pm
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Closed snow cover on several highways
A continuous blanket of snow has formed on several motorways, including the A7 between Hanover and Göttingen, the A30 in the Lingen area and the highways in the Osnabrück area. Clearance vehicles are in constant use, but the roads keep snowing over. The snow is also causing problems on the A2 near Braunschweig: the motorway maintenance authorities “clear what they can,” said a spokesman for the Braunschweig motorway police. Nevertheless, other trucks were also broken down. There were several accidents during the night. Nevertheless: The onset of winter was not initially as dramatic as feared by rescue services and meteorologists.
The A30 near Schüttorf is blocked by an overturned tractor-trailer. There are problems elsewhere too. more
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Severe weather warning until this evening
The German Weather Service (DWD) has issued an official severe weather warning for the area from the county of Bentheim via Hanover to the Harz Mountains and the Göttingen region. The DWD recommends avoiding all car journeys. The warning will initially apply until 9 p.m. tonight. From the southern Emsland to the Harz, the weather experts are expecting up to 15 centimeters of fresh snow and gusts of wind up to 80 kilometers per hour, as a DWD spokesman said. The snowfall is not expected to subside until Monday night. Last night, the front runner was Ottenstein in the Holzminden district with 27 centimeters of fresh snow.
Trains: Railway stops regional traffic to a large extent
Icy points and blown snow have also largely paralyzed train traffic in Lower Saxony. The Deutsche Bahn Due to the storm, regional traffic almost completely stopped until 3 a.m. on Monday morning. The company announced this via Twitter. The exception is the regional express between Bremen and Norddeich-Mole.
Hannover junction for IC and ICE tight
According to Deutsche Bahn, trains can no longer run on most long-distance routes. The Hanover junction is currently no longer accessible for IC and ICE trains, said a railway spokesman at noon.
Long-distance traffic on the following routes was completely suspended for Sunday:
IC Hannover – Norddeich-Mole
Münster (North Rhine-Westphalia) – north dike pier
Long-distance traffic on the routes will be suspended until at least the afternoon:
Long-distance traffic between Berlin and Frankfurt via Braunschweig / Kassel and on the Berlin-Hanover-Dortmund / Cologne and Hamburg-Dortmund / Cologne routes has been suspended until further notice. The entire long-distance traffic between Germany and the Netherlands is also suspended until further notice (Frankfurt-Amsterdam and Berlin-Amsterdam).
Also failures at metronom, enno and erixx
Connections by rail companies are also severely restricted metronome, enno and erixx. The trains that are still running have to be prepared for delays. The following connections are canceled for the time being:
metronom Hanover-Uelzen
metronome Hannover-Göttingen
enno Hanover-Wolfsburg
enno Hildesheim-Wolfsburg
erixx Braunschweig-Gifhorn-Uelzen
erixx Bad Harzburg-Goslar-Hanover
erixx Bad Harzburg-Braunschweig
On the Nordwestbahn, the connections between Osnabrück and Wilhelmshaven were canceled until the afternoon due to the weather. According to the police, bus traffic in Osnabrück and the Gifhorn district came to a standstill on Sunday morning. It was still unclear in the morning whether and when he would be resumed.
Flexible ticket usage possible
Deutsche Bahn as well as metronom, enno and erixx ask customers to find out about their connection via the company’s apps, websites and social media channels before starting their journey. Deutsche Bahn offers travelers the option of using the tickets booked for this weekend flexibly within the coming week or canceling them free of charge. Tickets for metronom, enno and erixx that have already been bought for this weekend will remain valid until Sunday, February 14th, as a spokesman announced.
Limited ferry service on the East Frisian Islands
Effects on ferry operations
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Because of the strong east wind, many also fall Ferries to the East Frisian Islands out. The reason for this is that the wind pushes the water out of the Wadden Sea and the ships no longer have enough draft. Among other things, the ferries to Juist and Wangerooge are canceled. According to the shipping company, delays and cancellations can also occur in ferry traffic to the island of Norderney. The ferries to Langeoog will also be canceled on Sunday due to bad weather. Ferry traffic to the islands of Borkum, Spiekeroog and Baltrum can also be impaired.
Storm knocks down trees
The storm also caused damage in East Frisia. But there were no injuries. According to the police, passers-by and motorists reported flying objects and fallen trees. In Borkum a tree fell on two cars, in Detern a tree fell on the road. One car was slightly damaged. According to the police, parts of the roof of a fashion house threatened to fall onto the street in Leer. The road has been temporarily closed.
Telecommunications disruption feared
In addition to traffic problems, there is also a threat of power and network failures due to torn lines. “With a view to the next few days, we have an increased level of alertness and diverse line reserves and are also in contact with other network operators,” said a spokesman for Tennet. Should lines be damaged, Tennet can compensate for the damage through safety reserves via other lines. Network operators such as Avacon and the regional Oldenburg energy supplier EWE are also preparing. Avacon is concerned that larger amounts of snow and freezing rain could put pressure on the networks at the same time.
State forests warn against entering the woods
Because of the extreme weather conditions, people should not enter forests. The Lower Saxony State Forests and the Harz National Park Administration are calling for this.Under the weight of large amounts of snow, branches and even entire treetops could suddenly fall down, it was said. This also applies to areas where there is not so much snow. “There may be ice build-up on the treetops, which can have an effect similar to that of snow,” said Klaus Merker, President of the Lower Saxony State Forests. The national park administration warns of a “life-threatening forest visit”. In addition to the dangers of falling trees, it points to the threat of frostbite and disorientation.
In which region is the next storm threatened? Here you can find the current warning messages from the German Weather Service. more
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Heat buses and emergency shelters for the homeless
In order to offer homeless people warmth and protection, the Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe is increasingly deploying its cold buses in Hanover and Oldenburg, for example. The helpers distribute warm drinks and food, clothing, blankets, drugstore items and masks. In the state capital, the centrally located market church will also be used as emergency accommodation from Sunday evening, as the Evangelical Lutheran City Church Association announced on Friday. The offer should initially be valid until February 14th.
School dropout possible on Monday
Since the DWD has announced further snowfalls with drifting snow for the night on Monday, this could also affect schools on Monday. The district of Nienburg has already indicated that voluntary face-to-face teaching at primary schools and in the final classes could be converted to home teaching. In this case, however, there should be emergency care. The district will probably not decide until early Monday morning whether the classroom lessons can take place or not.
Picture galleries
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A rare weather situation like this weekend has already happened in Lower Saxony: In the snowy winter of 1978/79. Picture gallery
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A rare weather situation like 1978/79
According to weather experts, the reason for the onset of winter is air mass limits that lie exactly above the north. Cold air comes to us from Scandinavia, while significantly warmer and humid air flows from the south. It is a rare weather situation, said Andreas Friedrich from the German Weather Service. The situation is similar in Winter 1978/79 given – during the snow catastrophe. During the course of the Saturday it became apparent that the two air masses would meet further south than initially forecast. That said meteorologist Andreas Wagner from the ARD Weather Competence Center on Saturday to NDR.de.
Further information
6 Min
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At the weekend, up to 40 centimeters of snow can fall in parts of Lower Saxony. The transport companies are preparing. 6 min
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5 Min
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Massive snowfalls have been announced for Lower Saxony. Mirko Temmler from civil protection classifies the situation. 5 min
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How will the weather be today, tomorrow and in the coming days in Lower Saxony? The outlook. more
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Persistent snowfall and squalls cause massive problems on roads and rails. A severe weather warning applies. more
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The winter of 78/79 plunged the north into chaos with icy cold and a lot of snow. In February there is another disaster alert. more
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Traffic jams, construction sites and hazard warnings: current reports on traffic for Hamburg, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. more
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