Heavy thunderstorms

It’s raining in the west, people are (still) swimming in the east

Severe thunderstorms are forecast for western Austria on Wednesday.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/Menno van der Haven)

In the west of Austria, the bathing weather is coming to an end on Wednesday. During the afternoon, severe thunderstorms are forecast for parts of the country, some of which could extend into the evening hours. Tyrol in particular could experience severe storms.

GeoSphere Austria has issued a thunderstorm warning for parts of the province (warning level "orange", level 3 of 4). The south of Salzburg and western Styria are also affected. 

By the evening, the thunderstorm cells will spread to Upper Austria and Carinthia. Away from the mountains and in the south-east, hours of sunshine can still be enjoyed. It should remain dry until the evening.

"Nicole" brings thunderstorms
According to GeoSphere Austria, the wind will be weak apart from the thunderstorms. The highest daily temperatures will be between 23 and 32 degrees.

The sun is still shining in the east, as our "Krone" webcam shows:

In the coming hours, Austria will increasingly find itself on the front side of an extensive low named "Nicole" with its core near the British Isles, the Austrian Severe Weather Center announced. "Although warm air masses will reach the Alpine region with a westerly high-altitude current, the risk of thunderstorms will increase in the run-up to a cold front."

In the night to Thursday, thunderstorms will also become more likely in the west and southeast of Austria: "Especially in the southeast, strong thunderstorms with heavy rainfall are possible, while the weather will quickly calm down in the west."

Elmar Rizzoli, head of the Tyrolean Center for Crisis and Disaster Management, emphasized to the "Tiroler Krone": "Special caution is required, especially in the mountains, but also at lakes and in swimming pools. Therefore, keep a close eye on local weather developments and react accordingly, for example by seeking shelter early."