Heavy snowfall has caused chaos in Bavaria, southern Germany, particularly in its capital Munich, where air and rail traffic was disrupted on Saturday. After announcing that it would suspend its flights until 12:00 p.m., Munich airport announced the extension of this measure until 6:00 a.m. on Sunday “due to persistent snowfall.” In total, 760 flights are affected, a spokesperson told AFP.
More than 40 centimeters of new snow fell in Munich overnight from Friday to Saturday, according to the weather service. Authorities have asked residents to stay home for safety reasons. The city police advised in particular to “avoid unnecessary trips and use the car only when absolutely necessary”, due to the “exceptionally heavy snowfall”.
Rail traffic paralyzed
The arrival of winter has also considerably disrupted rail traffic. “Munich central station cannot currently be served,” said the Deutsche Bahn railway company. Main traffic is completely paralyzed throughout the city. Elsewhere in southern Germany, train cancellations or delays are also expected, Deutsche Bahn warned, estimating that disruptions are expected to last all day.
A large part of public transport (buses, intercity trains and trams) was also not operating in the Bavarian capital, the Munich public transport company (MVG) also indicated. The subway could also experience cancellations and interruptions during the day, he added.
Another consequence of these inclement weather: the match between Bayern and Union Berlin on the thirteenth round of the German championship, scheduled for Saturday afternoon, had to be postponed. The snow accumulated on the roof of the Allianz Arena stadium “represents an incalculable risk for spectators. Furthermore, it is practically impossible to reach the Allianz Arena,” Bayern Munich said in a statement.
30 to 40 centimeters
The Lower Bavarian police, for their part, announced around 350 interventions related to bad weather between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. He reported five traffic accidents, with minor injuries. Much of Germany has been under the influence of snow and sub-zero temperatures for several days. According to the German weather service, the highest amounts of snow are expected on Saturday in Allgäu in southern Bavaria, with between 30 and 40 centimeters.
Rainfall is expected to gradually taper off in the late afternoon, they said.
Source: BFM TV
