Storms & heat record

50,000 lightning flashes – and more to come!

Powerful lightning - like here over Lake Achensee in Tyrol - was frequently seen on Tuesday night.

(Bild: Leserreporter)

Meteorologists are currently thrilled during the day and wide awake at night: thunderstorms raged across Austria from Monday to Tuesday and a lightning storm lit up the night. It was just the start of a weather week that has it all.

With 805 lightning strikes, the experts from the Ubimet weather service in Vienna recorded more discharges in just half an hour than in the entire years 2015 (187) and 2023 (771). On average, 2941 lightning strikes are recorded in the Austrian capital every year.

Huge flashes of lightning - like here over Lake Achensee in Tyrol - were frequently seen on Tuesday night.

(Bild: Leserreporter)

Completely different figures come from Lower Austria, where 11,000 lightning strikes were discharged during the night. Throughout Austria - Tyrol, Salzburg and Styria were also affected - as many as 24,000 lightning strikes were recorded on Monday and more than 13,000 on Tuesday night.

A pattern that continued on Tuesday afternoon and in the evening. And the heat will continue until the weekend. There could even be a new annual heat record in the east. This is currently held by the city of Vienna, where 36.4 degrees were measured on June 30. From Marchfeld to Seewinkel, meteorologist Michele Salmi told "Krone", hot air from the Balkans could drive the thermometers to a new record. While it will remain "cool" in Bregenz (29 degrees), Vienna is expecting at least 35 degrees again.

The hottest day of the year will be close. The south-easterly wind, which is freshening up in the east today, will bring dry and hot air from the Balkans.

Michele Salmi, Wetterexperte von Ubimet Austria

Until the clouds darken again. Heavy thunderstorms will develop on Thursday and Friday, especially in the mountains. A strong cold front will pass over us during the course of Saturday. From the morning onwards, heavy thunderstorms will spread from the west to the countryside, with severe thunderstorms also expected in the east on Sunday. Meanwhile, heavy rain will become an issue in the west. And also snow above 2500 meters.