Heavy rain and hail

Severe thunderstorm warning for Vorarlberg

Something is brewing again over Vorarlberg.

(Bild: Angelika Drnek)

There is no end to the capricious weather in the Ländle region: According to the latest forecast from GeoSphere Austria, widespread showers and thunderstorms are expected on Saturday evening, with localized thunderstorm potential with heavy rain, hail and squalls. The situation at Lake Constance is being closely monitored. 

Based on the data, the state of Vorarlberg has issued a thunderstorm warning. The thunderstorms are expected to last well into the night, with the focus on the Oberland, Lake Constance and the Bregenzerwald. Thunderstorms and precipitation are also expected on Sunday. 

Due to the weather conditions, it cannot be ruled out that small streams may burst their banks locally. However, there is no acute danger of flooding on the major rivers or on Lake Constance for the time being. 

Better safe than sorry
Speaking of Lake Constance: Due to the current exceptionally high water levels, extensive precautionary and preparatory measures are being taken along the Vorarlberg shore. Governor Markus Wallner and State Councillor for Safety and Water Management Christian Gantner visited the site on Saturday afternoon to see for themselves: "The mobile protection systems have been set up, are working and are proving their worth." The situation is still being closely monitored. 

The level of Lake Constance is currently around 500 centimetres, which is 93 centimetres above the average and 68 centimetres below the level of a 100-year flood. Forecasts predict that it will stagnate until Sunday evening, followed by a renewed rise to around 515 centimetres by Friday of next week. The biggest imponderable apart from precipitation is meltwater: there is still a lot of snow on the mountains at the moment - so large amounts of meltwater are to be expected in high temperatures. The good news: from Monday, the snow line is expected to drop to 2000 meters - this would ease the situation noticeably.  

Further up-to-date information is available at www.vorarlberg/warnung.