Stuttgart (dpa/lsw) – Freezing rain in the south, snow in the north, gusty winds in the High Black Forest: Wednesday’s weather endangers many people out and about. The German weather service has warned in an official severe weather warning of thick black ice in parts of Baden-Württemberg. “The rainfall is so heavy that the ice sheet is growing in a way that is predicting icy conditions,” said a DWD meteorologist.
Large parts of southern Baden up to Upper Swabia and possibly even the Swabian Alb should therefore be affected. “Freezing rain would be less dangerous than freezing rain. This immediately forms a smooth surface on the roads,” the meteorologist said. Significant traffic delays were expected.
DWD was forecasting light snow amounts of up to two inches across upstate and midstate through Wednesday evening. On Thursday night – especially in the middle of the country – it should continue to snow. The forecast: Up to three centimeters of fresh snow, partly also slippery due to damp frost. According to the DWD, storm gusts of up to 80 kilometers per hour are expected to rise in the high altitudes of the southern Black Forest on Thursday night. There is also fog.
The Baden-Baden fire brigade advises all citizens to take extra care when entering icy surfaces. “Children are particularly at risk. They easily overestimate the fact that the ice cover is still too thin. Even if the ice looks solid close to shore, it can feel different a few meters further on. If the ice breaks off, they will inevitably fall into the water The result is life-threatening hypothermia.”
According to the fire brigade, the ice must be at least 15 centimeters thick. Stepping on ice that has dark spots or cracks is life-threatening. Crowds of people like ice skating are just as life threatening due to the risk of overload. If the ice crackles and cracks, has cracks or if water gushes onto the surface, the ice surface must not be walked on. Those already on the ice would have to lie down to distribute their weight over a larger area and crawl towards shore.
Forestry Minister Peter Hauk (CDU) said the risk of branches breaking and falling under the load is increasing. This is a significant danger to forest visitors. “Also, forest paths can become icy and very slippery or blocked by fallen trees. Therefore, for the time being, these forest areas should be avoided at all costs until the snow has melted from the tree limbs and conditions of the path will not be restored”. Hauk urged people to postpone forest hikes or move paths outside the forest. Hauk also recommended the free app “Hilfe im Wald”. In case of an emergency, this could bring rescuers to the wounded.
In Höchenschwand (Waldshut district) on Tuesday evening, a delivery truck driver left the sloping roadway onto a snowy and icy road. According to police, his car collided with a tree, overturned and stopped at the foot of an embankment several meters deep. The driver initially freed himself, but was hospitalized after collapsing.
The emergency room at Freiburg University Hospital was fully booked on Wednesday morning. There have been a huge number of patients since the morning after black ice incidents, according to a spokeswoman. 80 people had to be treated due to falls, broken bones or bruises – normally it numbered around 20. The SWR had reported first.
On the B28 in the direction of Kehl, disabilities occurred on Wednesday morning after several accidents on a slippery road. According to police, two vehicles had to brake due to traffic, which caused a following vehicle to skid. As a result, all three vehicles collided. Two successive incidents occurred in the same backwater. One person was slightly injured. The B28 was blocked in the direction of Kehl.
In Gaggenau (district of Rastatt), a driver crashed his vehicle into a wall and was slightly injured. The Freiburg police also reported several accidents: among other things, one car slid into a guardrail, two others crashed into a wall. A motorist also went off the road and stopped in the ditch. However, no one was injured in the crashes.
Already on Tuesday a motorist in Mannheim overlooked a cyclist because, according to the police, he had only cleared half of the windshield of ice. The woman fell after the collision and was slightly injured, and an investigation was opened for culpable injuries against the driver.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:221214-99-893488/5
