Waiting for snow

The driest winter in years

In ski resorts, the snow cannons can make up for a lot thanks to the relatively low temperatures.

(Bild: Planai)

No snowfall in sight far and wide, instead frost and fog in Styria. Groundwater is still feeding off the summer.

A high pressure system called Beate has had a grip on the weather in Styria for days and is ensuring sunny winter days at higher altitudes, while fog and frost dominate, especially in more southerly parts of the province. Precipitation has been in short supply for weeks, and there is no sign of a significant change in the coming days either: "Unfortunately, we have to disappoint anyone waiting for fresh snow," says Ubimet meteorologist Nikolas Zimmermann.

(Bild: Krone Kreativ)

Too little precipitation across the country
Thanks to a snow cushion from December and relatively low temperatures for snowmaking, Styrian ski resorts can breathe a sigh of relief, but the precipitation deficit is currently affecting the whole of Styria. According to meteorologists, it hasn't been this consistently dry in winter for years. "In Bad Gleichenberg, for example, 67 millimetres of precipitation should have fallen since the start of winter according to the long-term average. So far, eleven have fallen, which is almost nothing," says Geosphere meteorologist Hannes Rieder.

Even in the otherwise "wetter" Upper Styria, precipitation has so far been well below average (see graph above). "We have had many long-lasting high-pressure areas in recent weeks," says the expert.

The lack of snow and rain is also noticeable in the groundwater levels: "In the south, the groundwater levels are already well below average, but still well above the long-term minimums," says Robert Schatzl, Head of the Provincial Hydrography Department. In more northern parts of the country, the levels are still around the average. "Overall, the situation is not yet really dramatic. We are still drawing on last year's precipitation," says Schatzl.