Hail, storm, rain

Severe damage – and the threat of new storms

Numerous roofs were covered.

(Bild: Ferlitsch/BFVDL)

Thick hailstones, small mudslides, covered roofs: the storm front hit the south-western Styrian municipality of St. Martin im Sulmtal particularly hard on Friday. Here alone, 173 firefighters were deployed. And the meteorologists are not yet giving the all-clear.

Initially, heavy thunderstorm cells moved through Upper Styria on Friday, with local flooding affecting the Leoben and Kapfenberg areas in particular. In Kapfenberg, a supermarket was flooded and the Diemlach fire department had to be called out (see video). A work accident in St. Peter-Freienstein ended in tragedy: an excavator operator died in a flooding stream.

The storm was particularly severe in south-western Styria. According to the Deutschlandsberg district fire brigade association, the front moved from Bad Schwanberg via St. Peter im Sulmtal and St. Martin im Sulmtal to the Leibnitz district, where Gleinstätten was particularly affected.

In St. Martin im Sulmtal alone, 173 firefighters were deployed into the night (a good 300 in total). Hailstones up to eight centimeters in diameter fell here. Roofs were damaged as a result, but also due to the storm. The fire departments used tarpaulins to provide makeshift cover for the houses.

+1

Fotos

Fire department operation continues
The GKB railroad line was also affected: a tree fell onto the overhead line in Dietmannsdorf. The maypole in St. Martin had to be felled as it was damaged by the storm. Work will continue today, Saturday, with the disaster relief team from the Eibiswald section arriving to assist. 

Traffic accidents occurred on the Pyhrnautobahn and on the S35 (Brucker Schnellstraße) due to the sudden heavy rain. According to the provincial fire brigade association, 72 storm operations and 94 technical assistance services were recorded across Styria. More than 1000 households were temporarily without power.

Millions in damage to agriculture
Agriculture was also hit hard once again. According to initial estimates by the hail insurance company, 3,800 hectares of agricultural land were destroyed in Styria alone, with damage amounting to around 1.9 million euros. 

And there is no respite in sight: thunderstorms are also threatening in the humid air from midday on Saturday and Sunday. Locally, they could again be heavy with hail and squalls. It should cool down on Monday, but the risk of thunderstorms continues.