Especially in the north

Storm center registered tens of thousands of lightning strikes

Lightning in the mountains (archive image)

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

There was repeated lightning throughout the country on Sunday. The Austrian Severe Weather Center (UWZ) had even detected 52,744 flashes of lightning by 9.10 p.m., most of them in Lower Austria.

Many flashes were also visible in Vienna, for example in the 19th district of Döbling. The severe weather center (UWZ) posted the view from the Marina Tower on Sunday evening - "without time lapse", as they say. For more than 20 seconds, you can see how the sky is lit up by the constant lightning.

Some users on the X platform posted further photos and videos below, for example from Vienna city center, the Tullnerfeld and the Mistelbach district in Lower Austria.

Here you can see the video from Vienna.

Hail in the St. Pölten area
"Today there were thunderstorms with storms, heavy rain and hail in the St. Pölten area, especially in the north of Austria and in southern Styria," the severe weather center announced on Sunday evening. In Lower Austria, the helpers had to carry out pumping work, remove fallen trees and clean roads. From Sunday afternoon, the St. Pölten, Amstetten, Waldviertel and Weinviertel areas were among those affected. There was also flooding again in Hollabrunn. 

Here you can see a video of the hail in St. Pölten.

Severe damage to vineyards
Thunderstorms and gusts were also reported from Linz and Wels (Upper Austria). Late on Sunday evening (10.32 pm) there were still two severe weather warnings across Austria - for Upper Austria and Lower Austria. Level orange was in place for Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg. There were advance warnings for the remaining federal states of Styria, Carinthia, Burgenland and Vienna.

In Vienna, the damage caused by the hailstorm to the vineyards the day before has now been announced. This amounts to around 500,000 euros, as the Austrian hail insurance company announced in a press release on Sunday. The Nussberg was particularly affected. "The problem is that the grapes are already very ripe and were therefore hit at a very sensitive stage," it said. 110 liters per square meter fell in the federal capital on Saturday.