More snow to batter Germany, Alps following deadly weekend snowstorm
It looked like a winter wonderland in Reutte, Austria, after heavy snow blanketed the area. The snow resulted in the deaths of at least 7 people and trapped hundreds in the mountains.
Another blast of cold winds and snow will impact areas from Germany into the Alps and surrounding countries on into Thursday.
Cold air from Scandinavia and western Russia was pulled into central and eastern Europe on Wednesday, setting the stage for widespread snowfall.
While the highest elevations will get the heaviest snowfall, lower elevations will still be at risk for accumulating snowfall.
Snow showers will whiten the ground at times across central and eastern Germany as well as western Poland into the day on Thursday.
Periods of snow, some heavy, will fall across southern Saxony, Bavaria and southern Baden-Wurttemberg into Thursday, leading to widespread travel disruption.
Total snowfall of 8-15 cm (3-6 inches) will be possible in Stuttgart, Munich and Dresden during this time.
The highest elevations of eastern and southern Germany, Switzerland, northern Italy, Austria and Czechia can expect 30-90 mm (1-3 feet) of new snowfall by Friday morning.
Truck drivers help each other after being trapped by heavy snowfall on the Autobahn A8 near Holzkirchen, southern Germany, Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. (Tobias Hase/dpa via AP)
The recent stormy weather across Europe has claimed the lives of at least 13 people due to snow-related accidents and avalanches, according to the Associated Press.
On Wednesday, a French mirage fighter jet went missing while on a low altitude training flight near the border of France and Switzerland amid the ongoing snowstorm, according to the Associated Press.
Visibility was poor in the region at the time of the disappearance due to snow and fog and was hampering initial search efforts.
Roads to several ski resorts across the region were closed due to the extreme snowfall in recent days, and further travel stoppages in the Alps are possible due to heavy snowfall from this storm.
Gusty winds on Thursday and Friday will cause blowing and drifting along with poor visibility at times.
Snow will also fall across Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, where amounts ranging from a coating to 8 cm (3 inches) are expected through Friday morning.
A pair of additional storms will strike the region from Friday into Sunday, bringing the risk for more snowfall and gusty winds.
A push of milder air with each of these storms will limit significant snowfall to the higher elevations by Saturday and Sunday.
As the milder air arrives, rain will fall in Frankfurt, Dresden and Berlin on Saturday.
The milder air will expand south and east on Sunday, causing precipitation to fall as rain in Stuttgart, Munich, Prague and Warsaw.
While this milder air will limit the risk for accumulating snowfall in the lower elevations, there will continue to be a high threat for avalanches in the mountains.
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