Heat at the beginning of April

Early bathing fun in Salzburg too: off to the water!

It's not usually this busy at the Alm in the city until much later in the year.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Unbelievable, but true! Sun-seekers all over Salzburg took the plunge into the lakes or the city's alpine pastures on Sunday. And that at the beginning of April! An atmospheric picture. 

There was no stopping sun-seekers in Salzburg this Sunday: Into their swimming trunks and into the water! Even in Lake Zell, which is still quite fresh at seven degrees, it wasn't just the hardiest who took a dip. Scenes that older people remember from the May festivals at the earliest are now shifting to the "blissful pre-month" of April.

Just shy of the magical 30 mark
Throughout Salzburg - from the mountains to the Almkanal in the city to the Flachgau lakes - swimming was already reminiscent of the first days of summer.

A rare sight for the beginning of April: swimming fun on the Almkanal in the city.

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Off into the lake: it wasn't just the exotic types who dared to jump into the refreshing water.

(Bild: EXPA/ JFK)

Early bathing fun: Unusual impressions of Lake Zell.

(Bild: EXPA)

In Salzburg, the mercury column climbed just below the 30 degree mark. The frontrunners on Sunday were Bischofshofen with 29.2 degrees and Lofer with 28.6, closely followed by the result from the Freisaal measuring station in Salzburg's Nonntal. By way of comparison, the 30 degree mark was only reached at the end of April. Heat records were set in 2012 - then on the 27th and 28th of the month. In Salzburg Freisaal, an extreme value of 31.5 degrees on April 27, 2012 stands out in the records.

The forecast for the next few days in Salzburg is less record-breaking: Today, Monday, it will be gloriously beautiful once again and also warm. Then more unsettled weather is forecast.

An interview with meteorologist Liliane Hofer
"Krone": Ms. Hofer, what is your assessment after this early day of heat in Sas is your assessment after this early day of heat in Salzburg?

Liliane Hofer: Even though we didn't break the magical 30 degree mark in Salzburg, it's simply far too warm for the time of year.

What weather phenomena are responsible for this?

At the moment, air from North Africa is coming to us with a south-westerly high-altitude current. As a result, Saharan dust is repeatedly transported to the Alpine region.

Is this also happening more often in the mountains than it used to?

That's nothing unusual. In 2003, for example, there was also a major desert sand event. It tends to occur in the first half of the year and we have much better monitoring options today.

What will happen in Salzburg over the next few days?

On Monday it will be quite summery again with even more Föhn influence. Then we won't reach any more temperature peaks. Wednesday will be unsettled from today's perspective.