Series never ends

Storms swept across the country – now it hit Graz

Tree over the road in Bad Gams.

(Bild: Bereichsfeuerwehrverband Deutschlandsberg)

Once again, thunderstorm cells moved across Styria and kept the fire departments busy. Falling trees in particular kept them on their toes. This time, Deutschlandsberg, Weiz and the Graz urban area were among those affected. Later, a tree even fell onto the A2 south highway.

There seems to be no end to the series of storms at the moment: Thunderclouds swept across Styria again on Sunday afternoon. They brought large amounts of rain with them, but squalls also caused trees to topple.

30 operations in Graz
The Graz professional fire department had to deal with these: "It started at 5 pm. We had to remove trees and branches from the road. Some cellars were also under water," reports Andreas Schmuck. In total, there were around 30 operations in the Graz city area.

In Bad Gams, a tree fell onto a residential building.

(Bild: Bereichsfeuerwehrverband Deutschlandsberg)

The thunderstorm moved from the west to the east: it hit the districts of Weiz and Deutschlandsberg, among others. The former kept seven fire departments around Gleisdorf and Neudorf on their toes - traffic routes in particular had to be cleared. In Deutschlandsberg, the Florianis were called out to Stainz and Bad Gams - also due to falling trees.

Later, an alarm was also received from the A2 south highway. A tree was lying on the road near the Arnwiesen rest stop in the direction of Vienna. Five kilometers of traffic jam were the result - the fire departments were able to clear the road again.