Heavy snow has caused travel chaos in parts of Germany and Austria as roads and train routes were closed due to the threat of avalanche and airports cancelled flights.

Munich Airport, Germany's second-largest, saw 120 flights axed and others delayed while workers cleared runways of snow and removed ice from planes.

German police said one person died and two people were seriously injured when their car skidded into oncoming traffic on icy roads near the town of Bad Toelz.

In Austria, training and the qualification stage for the annual Four Hills ski jump tournament was cancelled after more than 50cm of fresh snow fell overnight.

Austrian public broadcaster ORF reported the small village of St Johann was evacuated because authorities feared strong winds could trigger a large avalanche.

Meanwhile, some 600 residents and tourists were stuck in the village of Soelktal following a road closure, the station reported.

Innsbruck airport said "current weather conditions have caused major restrictions in air traffic" and urged travellers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.

Further significant snowfall is forecast for southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland in coming days.

Separately, authorities in Greece reported travel disruptions due to snowfall in the north of the country.