Thunderstorms and 36 degrees!

No end in sight: the country struggles with masses of water

Once again, thunderstorms hit large parts of the country. Particularly affected: Styria, Carinthia and Tyrol.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Hans-Peter Neururer / FF Maria Lankowitz / Bachhiesl)

Concerns after the renewed storms on Friday night: Carinthia, Styria and Tyrol are affected. Rain and thunderstorms have caused flooding of houses and roads. In Zillertal, a car was even trapped in a mudslide! In Styria, a civil defense alert had to be triggered. 

It is the next day in a long line of severe storms that have caused chaos across the country. After numerous cases of damage to roads and houses on Thursday, there was another bitter awakening on Friday night ...

Civil defense alert in Styria
In the western Styrian municipality of Krottendorf-Gaisfeld, heavy rainfall caused massive flooding in the evening hours. The civil protection authority issued the order to declare a civil protection alert, according to the provincial warning center. Households had to be evacuated and the population was called upon to avoid underground garages, cellars, underpasses and riverbank areas due to the risk of flooding. The communities of Maria Lankowitz, Ligist and Hallersdorf were also particularly affected, according to the Voitsberg Red Cross.

There was also flooding near the Red Bull Ring.

(Bild: Thomas Zeiler)

Person trapped by flood water
In Maria Lankowitz, one person is said to have been trapped by floodwater and suffered injuries, according to the Red Cross. In some areas in western Styria, the power was out. At around 8 p.m., a powerful thunderstorm cell had also discharged from the west around Judenburg and Knittelfeld in the Mur Valley. This led to flooding in the Fohnsdorf and Spielberg areas. There were several mudslides, flooding of cellars and underpasses in the municipality of Spielberg, as well as in Kleinlobming.

A 19-year-old driver in Carinthia suffered a shock. While driving, the young man from Wolfsberg was pushed against a bridge railing by masses of water that overflowed the banks of a stream. The driver was unable to free himself. Emergency services were called out and rescued the trapped man.

The vehicle of a 19-year-old from Wolfsberg was swept away by mud.

(Bild: FF Preitenegg)

Storm damage in the east of Carinthia
In Carinthia, the areas of the Görtschitztal Valley on the Görtschitztal-Straße (B92) and the Klippitztörl-Landesstraße (L91) were particularly affected by the storms in the east. There were closures here during the night due to flooding, but these were lifted again after the fire departments had cleared the area. Between Hüttenberg and Klein St. Paul, however, there were obstructions in both directions on Friday morning due to clearing work.

Couple's car caught in mudslide
In the west of the country, in Tyrol, there was also further storm damage on Friday night: several mudslides occurred there due to the heavy rain. In Zillertal, a car was even trapped in a mudslide. The incident occurred around midnight. A German couple was affected, but both escaped unharmed.

A mudslide moved the Reschenstraße near Tösens (Tyrol).

(Bild: Hans-Peter Neururer )

Another mudslide occurred in the Landeck district. There were also landslides in the rear Kaunertal valley. 

Storm warnings also in the morning
Several severe weather warnings are still in force in the province during the course of Friday. According to the severe weather center, parts of Burgenland and Lower Austria are under a red warning. The last thunderstorms and shower cells moved away to Hungary in the morning. There could also be thunderstorms in the west - in Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The warning level there is orange.

Elsewhere too, regional showers and thunderstorms could again be severe. According to the forecast, strong thunderstorms will move from west to east towards the evening. Nevertheless, the maximum daily temperatures will be up to 36 degrees!