Overview
- Long-distance rail around the Hannover hub was suspended Friday; Deutsche Bahn says services will resume step by step on Saturday morning, though cancellations and delays will continue.
- Regional transport was heavily disrupted, with curtailed S-Bahn and bus operations, ferry suspensions that temporarily isolated some North Sea islands, and scattered flight cancellations.
- Authorities closed schools and public venues in multiple states, Berlin waived compulsory school attendance for Friday, and the railway lifted train-specific ticket restrictions for affected trips.
- The Deutsche Fußball Liga canceled FC St. Pauli vs. RB Leipzig and Werder Bremen vs. TSG Hoffenheim due to unsafe access and icy conditions at stadium sites.
- Officials flagged considerable avalanche risk in the Bavarian Alps and forecast Baltic storm-surge levels up to 1.5 meters in Flensburg, while forecasters expect the system to shift south with further snow and a possible freezing-rain threat early next week.