Huge problems for hundreds of flights to and from Germany are being caused by bad weather affecting central and western Europe, and the weather is expected to ease by this afternoon.

Already, cancellations and delays have been reported at the airports of Frankfurt, Munich, and Stuttgart.

The most serious problems are found at Frankfurt airport, at least 120 takeoffs and landings out of the 1,090 originally scheduled for today have already cancelled, a spokesman for the airport’s management company, Fraport, told German news agency dpa. The runways had to be cleared because visibility was poor, while long delays were being caused by the de-icing process due to weather conditions.

At Monachu airport the problems are more limited, with a few delays in the flight schedule, as in Stuttgart, where officials are asking passengers to arrive at the airport well in advance.

Problems due to the bad weather are also being experienced in the operation of railways, especially in the Frankfurt area, and authorities are advising drivers to be particularly careful on roads where there may be snow or ice. In Lower Saxony, Bavaria and Thuringia, around 120 road accidents have been recorded since last night, but no serious injuries.