Adriatic low

It will be white all over Carinthia at the weekend

Children are particularly happy about the snow

(Bild: Evelyn Hronek)

A pure winter atmosphere is coming this weekend: An Adriatic low will bring snowfall. Up to half a meter is possible in the mountains. And even in the lowlands there will be enough to build snowmen.

An Adriatic low reaches Carinthia in the night from Saturday to Sunday. "The humid air masses and the rather low temperatures will cause heavy precipitation and snowfall in places," explains meteorologist Andreas Tiefgraber from GeoSphere Austria. The precipitation will be particularly intense in the second half of the night. Further snowfall is expected on Sunday, with sleet or rain in the Klagenfurt basin.

Half a meter in the mountains
There are still slight uncertainties regarding the amount of snow. "The snow depths will vary regionally depending on the intensity of the precipitation. At lower altitudes, the current forecast is between ten and 20 centimetres," says Tiefgraber. In the congested areas of the Carnic Alps or the Karawanken, even half a meter of snow can accumulate.

Snow ploughs and gritting vehicles will be in action.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Come to stay
In any case, we can look forward to magical winter landscapes in the coming days. "Temperatures will be frosty at night, depending on the fog. Daytime temperatures will be between 0 and 3 degrees," reports Tiefengraber.

Asfinag is prepared for the snowfall - additional personnel are on standby for the weekend. Nevertheless, the appeal is to only use vehicles with winter equipment on the roads. In any case, the snowfall is perfect for the Carinthian ski resorts - because there is fresh snow just in time for most lift openings.

A white Christmas?
However, the forecast as to whether there will be a white Christmas throughout Carinthia this year is very uncertain. The last time Klagenfurt had a blanket of snow at Christmas was in 2021. Incidentally, the last time it snowed in Klagenfurt on December 24 or 25 was even further back. That was the case in 1996.