Weekend snowfalls Roads in NRW are mostly passable again after wintry weather
Bonn/region · Snow and icy conditions caused numerous problems and delays in Bonn and the region over the weekend. In many parts of Germany, police attended hundreds of accidents. The situation is now calmer.
The onset of winter led to chaotic traffic conditions in many parts of Germany until the thaw mostly calmed the situation. In some regions, police were involved in hundreds of operations on Sunday night.
After the onset of winter in North Rhine-Westphalia, the roads were open again for the most part at the start of the week. Police control centres were not expecting any major disruptions during work traffic on Monday morning, said a spokesman. On Sunday, snow falls severely restricted traffic and there were numerous accidents.
The German Weather Service nevertheless also warned of a risk of ice on Monday in Bonn and the region. It will rain during the day and temperatures in Bonn and the region are expected to climb to up to 7 degrees Celsius.
There were bus and train cancellations across the country. On Sunday, Deutsche Bahn halted the ICE train route Cologne-Rhine/Main, which stops in Siegburg. The trains are now running again.
Weather conditions in Bonn becoming calmer
Police said there were 30 weather related accidents in Bonn on Sunday. They resulted mainly in damage to car bodywork. Four people were injured and received outpatient treatment.
The wintry weather also caused at times chaotic road conditions in the Siebengebirge at the weekend. Heavy snowfalls around lunchtime had already made roads slippery on Saturday. While these stopped in the afternoon, they started again on Sunday morning. Snowfall and heavy gusts made things difficult for drivers, not all of whom were apparently driving with suitable tyres.
Police said the low volume of traffic on a Sunday meant there were no major accidents. By early evening there had only been two accidents on Sunday in the Königswinter area. Police said there was damage to car bodywork only and no one was injured.
Cancellations at airport
Employees at Cologne/Bonn airport also had their hands full because of the snowfall. Snowploughs had to be used several times on the take-off and landing runways causing the service to be interrupted each time. This caused delayed departures and landings and even some complete cancellations.
Original text: ga.de (with material from the DPA). Translated by Kate Carey.
