Erfurt (dpa/th) - Freezing rain and black ice led to numerous accidents in Thuringia on Monday. There is a high number of accidents across the country, said a spokeswoman for the situation center. "We're busy with emergency calls." In most cases, the officials are called to small accidents with mostly property damage.
At the Nordhausen State Police Inspectorate, the officials were no longer able to keep up with the accident recording on Monday morning. The affected drivers had to be prepared for longer waiting times.
The German Weather Service had also issued a storm warning for Thuringia due to the danger of black ice. The reason is a weather front with milder air, which reached the Free State from the west on Monday night. She brought rain that fell on the cold ground and froze to ice there. The rainy area had already crossed large parts of Thuringia in the morning and had moved east of the Saale by noon.
The rain will subside on Monday afternoon and relaxation can therefore be expected, said meteorologist Florian Engelmann. In the Werratal, Vogtland and parts of the Thuringian Forest, however, great caution is still required, as it will be cold there all Monday and the ground will remain frozen.
