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FREIBURG/KÖLN/TRIER (dpa-AFX) - Rain, snow and ice have turned roads and sidewalks in large parts of Germany into dangerous slippery surfaces. There were many accidents on Wednesday, especially in the south and southwest. For the time being, most of the damage was minor. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Frankfurt and Munich airports. Roads were closed and lessons were canceled at many schools. According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the danger is far from over. Severe weather warnings were in place in many places until Thursday morning.

The weather service had been warning since the morning of a very high risk of black ice due to freezing rain in a strip from Trier to Frankfurt am Main. In the affected regions in Rhineland-Palatinate and Hesse, the risk of black ice was very high. Specifically, it said: "Great danger to life and limb due to freezing rain with heavy ice build-up." In addition, there is widespread ice breakage. Staying outside and driving should be avoided at all costs.

A severe weather warning for black ice was issued from the center to the south - for example in parts of Thuringia, Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, in all regions of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria. According to the DWD, there is a danger to life and limb due to sudden freezing rain. It should snow heavily in the center. In some parts of the country, emergency services were preparing for the possibility of even worse conditions in the second half of the day.

School canceled in several federal states

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the snow should start in the morning. From 11.00 a.m., a severe weather warning was issued south of Aachen, Koln, Olpe and Winterberg. Bus and train companies informed their customers that there could be massive delays and cancellations from midday. When they woke up in the morning, many people in the affected districts saw an official warning on their cell phones.

In several federal states such as Bavaria, Hesse and NRW, schools were closed as a precautionary measure. No garbage was collected in Nuremberg. In the Hessian district of Groß-Gerau, all bus routes operated by the district were suspended due to black ice.

Travelers throughout Germany had to prepare for delays and cancellations. This applied to road, rail and air traffic. According to a Fraport spokeswoman, 600 of 1047 scheduled flights at Frankfurt Airport were already canceled on Wednesday. At Munich Airport, more than 250 of around 650 planned take-offs and landings were canceled, according to the airport. There were also isolated cancellations at Berlin's BER airport.

Patience was also required from rail travelers. Deutsche Bahn wrote on its website: "There may be delays and train cancellations on regional and long-distance services." As a precaution, the maximum speed of ICE trains was limited to 200 kilometers per hour. According to Deutsche Bahn, employees in the affected regions were on standby, for example to clear points or ensure traffic safety at level crossings.

In the late morning, the company announced that the situation was manageable. A spokeswoman said that the onset of winter would hit the railroads hardest in the midday hours. "We also expect train cancellations and delays during the course of the day."

Numerous ICE trains between Paris and Frankfurt and Paris and Stuttgart were canceled. However, the French TGV trains are running on these connections. The reason is that the German trains are more susceptible to damage from falling lumps of ice and whirling ballast stones on the French high-speed line to Paris.

In the morning, progress on the roads was slow or even stopped altogether. The police reported many accidents in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Saarland. There were a few injuries, but most of the incidents ended with material damage. The winter road clearance service was in constant use - even in regions where there were no black ice warnings.

Winter sports enthusiasts are happy

However, winter sports enthusiasts in some parts of the country enjoyed the white splendor - for example in the winter sports areas in the Sauerland. In the past few cold days, the snow cannons in Winterberg, for example, had already been able to produce a lot of technical snow. The Winterberg ski lift carousel announced that the natural snow that has now been added is ideal for the slopes. "The conditions could hardly be better." Meteorologists are also expecting a few hours of sunshine in the Sauerland at the weekend.

The DWD is expecting long-lasting freezing rain with black ice as far as the Eifel, Hunsrück, Taunus and Spessart regions, southern Thuringia, Vogtland, eastern Bavaria and the Ore Mountains until Wednesday evening. A general easing is expected in the second half of the night on Thursday./cht/DP/jha