Fire departments challenged

Storms paralyze traffic, cellars under water

Near Johnsbach, a fallen tree threatened to topple onto the road.

(Bild: FF Liezen)

Almost no summer day in Styria without a heavy thunderstorm! On Wednesday afternoon, the fire departments in the north and east of the country were particularly challenged. A severe weather warning is still in place for some regions.

Heavy rain, hail and squalls caused the Styrian fire departments to be called out in many places from the afternoon onwards. The districts of Liezen and Bruck-Mürzzuschlag were once again particularly affected. In Johnsbach, for example, traffic on the B146 was paralyzed. The cause was a fallen tree that threatened to block the road.

Stream overflowed its banks
However, the emergency services had a lot more to do: "We started receiving alarms at 5 p.m.," said Christoph Schlüßlmayr from the Styrian Fire Brigade Association, responsible for the Liezen district. "A stream overflowed its banks in Altirdning and pumping out work was necessary in Au near Gaishorn, as cellars were under water due to the heavy rain."

In the early evening, another storm report caused a scary moment: a tree uprooted in the immediate vicinity of the A9 near the Selzthal tunnel. However, Asfinag reported that this had not caused any problems for highway traffic.

Retirement home affected
In the district of Bruck-Mürzzuschlag, too, the members of the fire departments currently have their hands full. Damage reports have been received from St. Barbara/Veitsch, Freßnitz (municipality of Krieglach) and Mürzzuschlag. "In Krieglach, there was also water ingress in a retirement home. But thank God nothing major happened," said Robert Pusterhofer, spokesman for the fire department association responsible for the Upper Styrian region, to the "Krone" newspaper at around 8 pm.

Weather calms down during the night
However, meteorologists warn that the thunderstorms will continue to move eastwards and that the danger will probably only be finally averted in the second half of the night. More stable high-pressure weather should then be in store for the Styrians from the weekend.