Widespread freezing rain is creating treacherous travel conditions across Poland, prompting warnings for 14 provinces and contributing to a surge in traffic accidents. Authorities report numerous collisions – including a nine-vehicle pileup on the S8 expressway near Rawa Mazowiecka – as a combination of rain and sub-freezing temperatures leads to black ice formation on roadways. Emergency services are urging motorists to exercise extreme caution, as conditions are hazardous even for experienced drivers, and nearly 500 pieces of winter maintenance equipment have been deployed nationwide to combat the slick conditions.
Freezing rain and slick road conditions are causing widespread travel disruptions across Poland, with authorities issuing warnings for 14 provinces. The hazardous weather has already contributed to multiple accidents, including a nine-vehicle pileup on a major highway.
Slippery Roads Reported Nationwide
The Polish Meteorological Institute and Water Management issued first-degree alerts for freezing rain, predicting icy conditions through 10 p.m. Saturday, with an 80 percent probability of occurrence. Overnight Friday into Saturday, the country is forecast to be overcast, with fog reducing visibility to as low as 330 feet in northern regions.
Temperatures will range from a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius (23 degrees Fahrenheit) in the south to between minus 3 and 0 degrees Celsius (27 to 32 degrees Fahrenheit) in central areas, and up to 5 degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit) in the north and west. The combination of rain and freezing temperatures creates a significant risk of black ice on roadways.
The General Directorate for National Roads and Highways reported that nearly 500 pieces of winter maintenance equipment were deployed across the country. In Warsaw alone, 170 snowplows and salt spreaders were dispatched Friday to treat city streets.
Local authorities have confirmed that roads are particularly slippery in the Łódź, Mazowieckie, Podkarpackie, and Lubuskie provinces. Freezing drizzle is falling in the Podlaskie, Świętokrzyskie, Lubelskie, Łódź, Wielkopolskie, Podkarpackie, West Pomeranian, Lubuskie, and Mazowieckie provinces. Fog is also present in the Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Lubelskie, Wielkopolskie, Łódź, and West Pomeranian provinces.
The challenging weather conditions are making driving difficult even for experienced motorists. Emergency services are urging drivers to exercise extreme caution, reduce speed, increase following distances, and avoid sudden maneuvers.
Multiple Accidents Reported on Major Routes
A major incident occurred on the S8 expressway near Rawa Mazowiecka in Łódź province, where nine cars were involved in a chain-reaction collision. Nine people were injured in the crash, and the road was fully reopened around 9 p.m. local time.
See details of the S8 crash here.
Additional disruptions were reported on the A2 highway. A car struck barriers between the Łódź Północ and Łowicz junctions near Rozdzielna in Łódź province, but no injuries were reported. A three-vehicle collision also occurred on the Grodzisk Mazowiecki – Warsaw section, near the Pruszków interchange, again with no reported injuries.
On the A1 highway near Włocławek in Kujawsko-Pomorskie province, vehicles were skidding and leaving the roadway due to the icy conditions. The A1 was also blocked near Lipiny, toward Łódź, after two cars hit guardrails. Further south, a vehicle left the road on the section between the Kutno and Kowal junctions.
Widespread Collisions and Difficult Conditions
The S7 expressway also experienced disruptions. A car struck barriers on the Białobrzegi – Grójec section near Lekarcice in Mazowieckie province, and two cars collided near Czosnów on the Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki – Warsaw section.
Read about another incident in Podlasie here.
Two cars collided on the S12 expressway between the Nałęczów and Jastków junctions near Garbów in Lubelskie province. A car also struck barriers on the S5 expressway at the Gniezno Północ interchange in Wielkopolskie province, with no injuries reported. Another vehicle hit barriers on the S3 expressway in Skwierzyna, Lubuskie province.
The Mrągowo-Ryn road in Zalec, Warmińsko-Mazurskie province, was blocked after a two-car crash that injured two people. Two separate accidents caused by slippery conditions also occurred between Spychowo and Stare Kiełbonki.
Finally, a car overturned on national road number 92 between Miedzichowo and Lwówek near Miedzichowo in Wielkopolskie province, resulting in injuries to two people.
jp / mjo
/ polsatnews.pl
/ PAP
