Concerns about flooding

“It takes time for the snow to melt”

At higher altitudes, a relatively large amount of snow has fallen in a short space of time

(Bild: foto-webcam.eu)

While eastern Austria is battling the floods, the people of Salzburg are looking to the mountains: will the snow melt become a problem? A meteorologist reassures us.

Continuous rain for days in Salzburg. But from Wednesday, temperatures are climbing back towards the 20 degree mark. Do the people of Salzburg have to worry about melting snow?

"We are rather relaxed. The rain is more prominent. The snow won't melt so abruptly, it won't happen suddenly in a torrent," explains Claudia Riedl, meteorologist at Geosphere Austria (formerly ZAMG), reassuringly. According to the expert, the showers on Monday were "not even half as intense as the rain showers on Saturday".

Snowfall limits and temperatures on the rise
The hydrographic service also said on Monday: "Localized flooding has occurred on tributaries to the Salzach and on smaller streams in the Flach- and Tennengau." Water levels have risen, and in some cases reporting limits have been reached. However, the situation has generally eased.

And essentially: "The predicted snowfall line is rising, but is still causing retention in the catchment areas." According to Riedl, the snowfall limits will even gradually rise up to 2000 meters. There is therefore a particular risk of sliding snow avalanches - the mountain rescue service continues to warn of the dangers and advises ski tourers and winter sports enthusiasts to stay at home. From tomorrow and until the weekend, "normal autumn temperatures" will be above 20 degrees Celsius.