More rain and snow is expected throughout the day and as the rain is falling on frozen ground roads and pavements are becoming dangerously slippery.

There have already been several accidents during the night and early on Tuesday morning. In Lower Austria a woman lost control of her vehicle which skidded across the road and flipped over. Luckily she was unhurt. In Upper Austria icy roads caused a collision involving two trucks and two cars, but again there were no injuries.

Heimo Maier-Farkas, CEO of the Asfinag company which manages Austria’s highways, warned that “in these conditions, all drivers must be very disciplined and maintain the necessary distance between other vehicles”.

Pedestrians should also be careful walking on pavements, which can also be slippery in such conditions – even if they have been previously gritted. 

Temperatures will start to get warmer this week, with daytime highs between 6C and 8C by the weekend.

Meanwhile, fresh snowfall together with windy and rainy conditions has increased the danger of avalanches in the Alps. In Vorarlberg in the west of Austria the avalanche danger has risen to level 3, 'substantial'.

Winter sports enthusiasts should be cautious at altitudes of around 1,800 metres and above, where the snow is particularly vulnerable to slides.

Skiers and snowboarders are advised to download the avalanche warning app snowsafe for detailed avalanche reports.