Warmest winter so far

Last winter goes down as the warmest since records began

The first harbingers of spring are already sprouting unusually early - now the trembling before a possible late frost begins.

(Bild: Mr.Stock/stock.adobe.com)

February ends with a sad record: both Vienna and Bregenz did not record a single day with frost. But it wasn't just February that was particularly dry and mild this year. Weather experts are also talking about the warmest winter since records began. 

Last but not least, the last few weeks in particular saw spring-like temperatures of up to 19 degrees. December started with quite heavy snowfall down to the lowlands, brought several storms between the Christmas period and ended with unusually mild and, above all, dry weather conditions in February.

(Bild: UBIMET)

Significant deviations from normal temperatures
As a result, a deviation of plus 3.1 degrees was measured compared to the average from 1991 to 2020. According to weather experts, the largest deviations were in February and the smallest in January.

On a monthly basis, February also recorded the largest temperature increase to date compared to the current climate average. In many parts of the country, February was warmer than an average March, and in Wiener Neustadt it even exceeded the March record there. "Such a large deviation from the monthly average has never been measured in the past 200 years, not in any month," analyzes Nikolas Zimmermann, meteorologist at the Austrian Severe Weather Centre. 

No frost for the first time in Vienna and Bregenz
Temperatures for this month were above the seasonal average right from the start, so for the first time there was not a single frost in the entire month at several weather stations, such as the Hohe Warte in Vienna, where measurements have been taken since 1872. At altitudes below 1400 meters, not a single weather station recorded an icy day.

(Bild: UBIMET)

Warmest in the east
Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland were the warmest in the whole of Austria with deviations between 3.3 and 3.7 degrees. Last winter's higher temperatures took the lead from the warmest winter to date, 2006/07.

February with little precipitation
There was significantly more sunshine than usual throughout the country, especially in February. The partly dry weather conditions were also rather unusual for the last month of winter.

The high temperatures also affected the pollen season. The simultaneous full bloom of hazel and alder at the beginning of February increased the burden on allergy sufferers.