It wasn’t just heavy snow in Germany – the Alpine region also saw half a meter of snow overnight. There were traffic jams and accidents, and officials warned of avalanches. Air traffic has been temporarily suspended in Scotland.
Heavy snow has disrupted public life in many parts of northern and central Europe. A second high avalanche warning level applies to parts of Austria and Switzerland. As in Germany, there were also transport problems. These were also reported, as were power outages in the Czech Republic. Glasgow Airport in Scotland has temporarily suspended its flights.
Officials announced that a fourth alert level had been declared in the higher regions of the federal states of Tyrol and Vorarlberg. In Switzerland, the risk of avalanches in high alpine terrain is highest in Graubunden and Valais, according to the Snow and Avalanche Research Institute. There were problems with road and rail transport in the Austrian Tyrol. Also, electricity was cut at some places due to fallen trees.
The ÖAMTC Traffic Club reported particularly deep winter road conditions in the northern part of the Alps and on the eastern edge of the Alps. Many major thoroughfares were difficult to pass, resulting in frequent traffic jams and accidents. Highways were also affected. During the night, around 50 centimeters of snow fell on the mountains in many parts of Switzerland and western Austria.
This is the first snow of the season for Zurich.
Snow Emergency in South Bohemia
Heavy snowfall has led to traffic problems and power outages in the Czech Republic. Hundreds of refining vehicles were constantly in use. A snow emergency has been declared in the administrative region of South Bohemia on the border with Bavaria. About three quarters of a meter of fresh snow fell there overnight. A 20-kilometer-long traffic jam occurred after a truck accident on the D1 highway between Prague and Brno.
According to energy providers, more than 15,000 homes were without power after heavy wet snow damaged overhead power lines. Train services were closed on several routes due to fallen trees. The first division football matches between Jablonec and Teplice and Ceske Budejovice (Budweis) and Hradec Kralove have been postponed until the afternoon due to weather.
Snowfall: area near Volary in southern Bohemia.
Warnings for England and Scotland
Airport operations in Glasgow, Scotland have been temporarily suspended due to heavy snowfall. And according to a report from Glasgow Airport, the snowfall was heavier than predicted. According to a recent post, this is already the case.
Passengers are asked to check with their airlines for updates. The Met Office, the British weather service, has issued snow and ice warnings for parts of Scotland and the whole of England’s east coast and south-west England.
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