It was good while it lasted. Unfortunately, the spring-like weather in Germany is set to be swept away on Wednesday, ushering in more wintry weather for the coming weekend, with the chance of frost, ice and even snow. 

Wintry weather conditions this week in Germany

“Goodbye spring weather, the next few days will be increasingly dingy,” the German Weather Service (DWD) wrote in its daily report on Tuesday evening, explaining that this would be the end of the long period of fine weather we’ve been enjoying for the last few days. 

A mass of polar air from Scandinavia will sweep over Germany on Tuesday evening, bringing a cold snap after days of glorious sunshine and spring-like temperatures of up to 20 degrees Celsius. In the northern federal states, people will even wake up to frost first thing on Wednesday. The DWD is predicting, unfortunately, that the cold and wet weather will dominate the country for the rest of the week. 

Wednesday will see overcast skies and occasional bouts of light rain, with heavier showers and isolated thunderstorms further south, especially in Baden-Württemberg. The north will mostly be dry, but coastal regions and the whole of Schleswig-Holstein could be in for individual sleet showers. The temperature won’t rise above 10 degrees in the north and 15 degrees everywhere else, while a brisk wind will make it feel a lot chillier. 

Sleet and snow on the cards for some regions

The wet weather will continue on Thursday, with the snow line expected to fall to 1.000 metres during the day. Central and northern Germany will see some isolated snow and sleet showers with intermittent sunshine, and a maximum of 4 to 9 degrees. On the night to Friday, the snow line will fall even further, to between 400 and 600 metres in southern Germany, so anyone driving is being warned to take extra care. 

The cold snap will reach its peak on Friday and Saturday, with heavy snow predicted south of the Danube and in the Alps. Elsewhere there will be rain, sleet and snow showers, especially in the coastal regions, and the thermometer will barely rise above between a chilly 2 and 7 degrees - so watch out for ice! 

Sunday will also be cool, with maximum temperatures of 2 degrees predicted in the Alps and 9 degrees along the Rhine. Every now and then the sun will make its way through the clouds, with smatterings of rain and snow. The temperature looks set to drop even further during the night to Monday, so best not to pack away your winter coat just yet.