Interim results

10,000 firefighters battled the floods

The flooded cellar at the AMS in Braunau also needs to be pumped out

(Bild: Pressefoto Scharinger © Daniel Scharinger)

The flood situation in Upper Austria is only easing for the time being, reports the Upper Austrian fire brigade command. The Naarn and Aist rivers in the districts of Freistadt and Perg in particular are currently flooding, and the situation at the lakes is also tense in places. 10,000 firefighters have been deployed for a total of 18,000 hours so far.

"Heavy rain showers are forecast for the current day, and the rise in the snow line is also causing increased water runoff from the mountains. The situation is expected to worsen," says Markus Voglhuber from the Upper Austrian State Fire Service Command.

Continued heightened alert
The weather forecasts and the development of the water levels are being closely monitored by the emergency services. The fire departments in the province continue to be on heightened alert and are equipped for the corresponding emergency services.

A third of the fire departments under stress
Since the start of the storms, fire departments have been called out to provide assistance around 520 times. Of the 900 fire departments in the country, 330, i.e. around a third, have dealt with 1500 operations. 10,000 firefighters have been deployed for a total of 18,000 hours so far. Most of the work involved pumping and securing buildings and traffic areas.

Support for the people of Lower Austria
In addition, the Lower Austrian fire departments are being supported by six disaster control units from Upper Austria. 250 firefighters with 45 emergency vehicles and special equipment from the districts of Schärding, Braunau, Grieskirchen, Steyr-Land, Vöcklabruck and Wels-Land are deployed in dam safety and pumping work in the neighboring province.

This is what the danger situation looks like
According to Geosphere Austria - the former ZAMG - the current weather situation is once again ensuring an influx of very humid and slightly unstable air from the north-east. However, the low-pressure influence will slowly ease during the night and the heavy rain will end on Tuesday.

The period of precipitation: 
Widespread rain until over midday, a little more in the mountains in places. In the course of the afternoon, the rain will increase widely, with a total of 20 to 50 millimetres by midnight, and in some places even larger amounts of rain throughout the mountains (Salzkammergut, 50 to 70 millimetres, locally around 80 millimetres).

It gets less after midnight
The precipitation will weaken from the north as early as the first half of the night, and after midnight it will rain much less. From tomorrow morning, the last light showers, after which dry weather will finally prevail. Snow line: 1500 - 1700 m at midday, just over 2000 m in the evening, so slightly warmer air at altitude.