Some scheduled train services were canceled amid an initial snowfall in western Germany early Sunday, as the country prepared for snowstorms, snowfall and temperatures dropping below zero.
Emergency crews were on standby over the weekend as meteorologists issued maximum warnings in several parts of the country.
The first heavy snowfall was reported from Göttingen, but police also reported snow in Hanover and Osnabrück after midnight Saturday / Sunday.
The German Weather Service spoke of an "extraordinary beginning of the winter season". Heavy snowfall is expected to continue until Sunday night and could cause some roads and railways to be closed.
Meteorologists said the snowfall could be between 15 and 40 cm high.
Some previously scheduled rail trips in the center and north of the country have been canceled.
"This is a precaution," a railway spokesman said early Sunday, noting that the connection service to and from Hameln, Hildesheim, Nienburg, Seele and around Hanover was affected.
