Extreme weather

Violent storm swept through the whole of Austria

View from the Rotkogelhütte in Sölden(Bild: ZOOM Tirol)

On Thursday night, the first thunderstorms and strong gusts of wind swept through the whole of Austria. There was even snowfall in Tyrol, Salzburg and Styria. The emergency services are also prepared for the coming days, as the storms will continue across the whole country until the weekend. The first road closures have already been set up.

In Tyrol, for example, there have been some heavy rain storms and even the first snowfalls. The Stubai Valley, the Seefeld area and Kitzbühel are particularly affected. Current photos from "Krone" reader reporters show the first snow pictures in Tyrol. The first snowfalls have also occurred at high altitudes in Salzburg.

Heavy rain in Carinthia
It also started to rain and snow heavily in Carinthia on Thursday night. The precipitation is expected to get heavier and heavier as the day progresses. In Villach, situated on the Drau and Gail rivers, footpaths and cycle paths along the rivers will be closed on Thursday afternoon for safety reasons.

First road closures set up
The predicted heavy precipitation over Austria has already led to the first road closures. The Sölkpass (L704) in Styria and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road between the Ferleiten pass and Heiligenblut am Großglockner are affected, reported the ÖAMTC.

Snowfall in Salzburg(Bild: foto-webcam.eu)

Covered in snow: the Franz-Senn-Hütte in the Stubai Valley.(Bild: Franz-Senn-Hütte)

The highway maintenance services are also "prepared for all eventualities", especially in the Tauern region, Brenner freeway and Arlberg expressway, announced Asfinag.

It remains stormy
According to the forecasts, the main focus of the rain on Thursday will still be in the south of Austria and will move further east on Friday. Experts from the Austrian Severe Weather Center (UWZ) are expecting extreme amounts of rain, in some cases over 250 l/m², in the eastern Alps and in the Vienna Woods.

Mudslides, flooding and snowy roads are also to be expected. Further storms could also occur at the weekend. 

Events canceled
Numerous events have already been canceled due to the weather. The two-day dung festival organized by MA 48 in Vienna at the weekend fell victim to the predicted rainfall, as did the medieval festival planned from Friday to Sunday at Neugebäude Palace in Simmering and the Stadlauer Kirtag, which also lasted three days.

Some events have also been canceled in other federal states. In Carinthia, for example, both the after-work market at Klagenfurt's Benediktinermarkt on Friday evening and the SPÖ family festival planned for Saturday at Wörthersee-Ostbucht were canceled due to the weather.

Vienna is ready for action
Vienna's professional rescue service is already prepared to take "various measures". However, no closures are currently planned. The supporting organizations, the disaster relief team and the Vienna Volunteer Fire Brigade, are also ready for action.