Munich Airport temporarily suspended flight operations on Tuesday morning due to freezing rain as cold weather continues to affect the region.

All flights were either cancelled or postponed between 6 a.m. and noon, with the airport warning that many flights scheduled for later in the day might also be affected by the severe weather conditions.

The airport, Germany's second biggest, announced the temporary shutdown on Monday night as a result of weather forecasts for Tuesday.

“The operating areas will be de-iced in the first half of the day. The plan is to allow air traffic to resume from midday,” the airport said on its website. “However, it can be assumed that the majority of flights will also have to be cancelled during the rest of the day for safety reasons.”

Tuesday's cancellations came after all flights at Munich Airport were grounded on Saturday following heavy snowfall in the city and in Germany's southern state of Bavaria.

Southern Germany as well as neighbouring Austria and Switzerland have been experiencing heavy snowfall which has affected public transport all over the region and led to alarm about possible avalanches.