It's getting frosty

Snow at lower altitudes from the middle of the week

In the coming week, there will also be snow at lower altitudes.

(Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL)

The weather is currently looking increasingly wintry: according to the latest forecast from Geosphere Austria, snowfall down to low altitudes is expected from Wednesday. The snow line is expected to drop to between 200 and 600 meters above sea level. Highs will drop to a maximum of four degrees Celsius over the course of the week, with sub-zero temperatures mostly on the cards in the morning hours.

On Monday , the remaining clouds from an overnight cold front will clear in the morning and the sun will shine at times. Subsequently, new cloud fields will move in from the northwest and it will start to rain again in the north and east. The snow line will still be around 1200 to 1400 meters above sea level. The wind will blow moderately to briskly from westerly directions, in the south only weakly to moderately from the southwest. The daily lows will be between minus four and plus five degrees, the daily highs between six and eleven degrees.

Fields of cloud will make themselves felt again and again on Tuesday , the sun will only appear briefly, but somewhat more frequently in the south-east. Towards evening it will start to rain in Vorarlberg, with the snow line around 1600 meters above sea level. The wind will be weak to moderate, along the foehn north side of the Alps also brisk from east to southwest. The lowest temperatures are unchanged from Monday and will rise to between five and twelve degrees during the course of the day.

A disturbance zone moving through from the northwest will then dominate the weather during the course of the day on Wednesday . Rain, sleet or snowfall is to be expected during the night, with the snow line quickly dropping to 200 to 600 meters above sea level. From midday, the precipitation will slowly decrease and the clouds will clear in some areas, allowing short windows of sunshine. The wind will be brisk to stormy from westerly directions. Especially in elevated and exposed locations in the north, wind speeds of over 100 km/h may occur. The lowest temperatures will be between minus 4 and plus 4 degrees and will only rise to between one and eight degrees.

The last remnants of disturbances will move away on Thursday in the first half of the day, the clouds will gradually clear and the sun will shine widely. Scattered snow or sleet showers may only occur in the north. The snow line will drop to below 100 meters above sea level due to the cold air mass. From the afternoon onwards, thicker clouds will move in from the southwest and cloud the sky. In the west, the first sleet and snowfall may occur in the evening hours. The wind will often blow briskly to strongly during the course of the day, especially in the north of the country, from westerly to southerly directions. Early temperatures will be between minus six and plus two degrees, with daily highs between minus two and plus six degrees.

During the course of the day on Friday , a disturbance will move across the country and cause cloudy weather with widespread snow and sleet down to the lowest altitudes, especially along the southern side of the Alps. As things stand at present, the sun will hardly ever be seen in all parts of the country. The wind will be mostly weak to moderate, often brisk to strong along the main Alpine ridge, from westerly directions. Early temperatures will range from minus six to zero degrees, with daytime highs of zero to four degrees.