Twenty-five towns were deprived of power from late Friday after strong winds knocked down electrical poles.

"The mains had a coating of ice as thick as your upper arm," RWE spokesman Klaus Schultebraucks said.

In the city of Muenster, 4,000 emergency services workers distributed 600 mobile generators to hospitals, retirement homes and shelters.

About 100,000 people regained electricity early Sunday. A company spokeswoman said RWE was confident power could be completely restored by nightfall if the weather did not take a turn for the worse.

Meanwhile icy road conditions led to 1,500 accidents over the weekend, causing 3.5 million euros (4.1 million dollars) in damage. Some 100 people were injured.

Train services were hit with delays on Saturday and Sunday.

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