The German Weather Service (DWD) continues to warn of freezing rain and black ice on Wednesday morning. The emergency department of the Freiburg University Hospital is overloaded.
One is borderline, according to a Freiburg University Hospital spokesman on Wednesday morning. About 75 patients are currently being treated for slippery-surface-related injuries, such as bone fractures and head contusions. The Hospital Company invites everyone to stay at home if possible. The streets and especially the sidewalks are still as smooth as glass.
The police also report accidents on the highway
There were also a few traffic accidents caused by black ice in the southern Baden districts on Wednesday morning. According to the police, for example, the B28 in the direction of Kehl (district Offenburg) is closed after several accidents on a slippery road. Three cars collided in a traffic jam, resulting in two successive crashes. Another vehicle veered off the opposite lane and skidded on the grassy verge.
Warning: ice sheets can slide off the roofs
Those who don’t necessarily have to go out should stay at home, the police also appealed. The danger of slipping on black ice is currently greater for pedestrians and cyclists. Cobblestones are a particular problem in urban centres: the freezing drizzle has made them extremely slippery. Also, sheets of ice can fall from the roofs.
The Freiburg Christmas Market reacts to slippery paths and roads with delayed opening hours. The organizer has announced that the stands will not open until 2pm on Wednesday.
Freezing rain announced in the High Black Forest
In Hinterzarten (district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald) the sandblasting vehicles are ready, because rain is expected on Wednesday morning. This can make the situation even worse. The B31 in Höllental between Freiburg and Hinterzarten has already been rolled out as a preventive measure.
Spreads black ice in southern Baden-Württemberg
“The whole thing starts harmlessly with a light snowfall, not so wild,” an expert from the German Weather Service (DWD) said on Tuesday. “But then it gets more intense Wednesday night and it might even be risky the next morning.” Only southern Baden-Württemberg is affected – “the lower third of the country” – as the DWD put it. There, however, widespread black ice is to be expected, the Offenbach meteorologists continue to warn.
Meteorologists warn: possible breakage of ice on trees
The German weather service warned of sometimes long-lasting, often freezing rains. Regionally extreme storms cannot be ruled out. The DWD predicts severe traffic disruption and damage to supply infrastructure. Electricity poles and lines could be damaged and there is a risk of ice breaking in the forests.
The Freiburg Police Headquarters warns of the risk of accidents
Since Tuesday, the Freiburg police headquarters have warned of the enormous risk of accidents. On Thursday night, from the Upper Rhine to the southern Pre-Alps, there may still be freezing rain or rain with an increased risk of ice.
Freezing Rain: The rain freezes the frozen ground
Freezing rain is when rain or drizzle falls from a warmer layer of air into a colder layer. When supercooled water droplets hit the frozen ground, they instantly turn into ice crystals and cover streets, buildings and cars in a thin layer of ice. The phenomenon is therefore also called freezing rain. Freezing rain is relatively rare in the temperate latitudes of Europe, but very common on the east coast of the United States.
Frosty: The ground is wet when cold weather arrives
For anyone out and about, freezing rain or sleet can be quite dangerous, both on the sidewalks and in the streets. Meteorologists distinguish between frozen ice and black ice. When it’s frozen, the road is already wet when it’s cold. When there is black ice, first comes the frost, then comes the wet and creates the risk of accidents.
Intense cold: locally possible down to minus 20 degrees
For the two nights of Friday and Saturday, DWD meteorologists are already predicting severe frosts with temperatures below minus ten degrees in the eastern mountain ranges. In the night until Sunday it can also be cold down to minus 20 degrees locally in southern and southeast Germany.
