Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

WEATHER

Austria heading into a rainy and cooler weekend after heatwave peak

After the heatwave reached its peak on Thursday with temperatures of up to 37C, the hot weather will subside (but not by much) as Austria gets showers and thunderstorms.

Published: 18 August 2022 15:29 CEST
Austria heading into a rainy and cooler weekend after heatwave peak
Workers clear dead fish from the Zicksee lake in St. Andrae am Zicksee in Burgenland, Austria as people lie in the shadow. (Photo by Alex HALADA / AFP)

Austria is experiencing one of the hottest summers in history and the effects of the hot and dry days can be seen all over the country.

From dried-out lakes to forest fires, the pictures showcasing the extreme weather’s impact are strong. The current heatwave, with temperatures above 30C every day since Saturday, August 13th, is set to peak this Thursday..

READ ALSO: IN PICTURES: How drought and extreme heat are affecting Austria

Still, it seems there will be some relief as the Austrian meteorologic agency ZAMG forecasts rainfall for the coming days in the country.

It starts on Thursday, with rain and thunderstorms forecast for western Austria, though temperatures are still high and the east, including Vienna, is less likely to see rain today.

From Friday, though, rain and thunderstorms are expected for the entire country, with extreme weather for strong winds and storms. Early temperatures will stay between 14C and 24C, but maximum temperatures in the west, where it should rain all day long, will often be around 20C.

READ ALSO: Wild weather in Austria: How to protect yourself during summer storms

In the east though, the sunniest locations could see the mercury rise to 35C.

On Saturday, early temperatures will be between 13C to 21C while daily maximum temperatures stay between 20C to 28C, with the east of Austria again seeing less rain and higher temperatures.

On Sunday, central regions of the country are likely to experience some rainfall, but by the afternoon most clouds will clear and showers will subside. Early morning temperatures will be between 11C and 20C, but will rise to between 22C to 28C later on in the day.

The weather will generally be sunny and dry next week, ZAMG reports. Daily maximum temperatures will be between 23C to 28C, according to the weather institute.

READ ALSO: How to avoid getting heat exhaustion in Austria’s scorching weather

What’s the weather going to be like in Vienna?

Friday will still be sunny and hot in Vienna, though the probability of showers and storms will increase near the evening hours. Daily maximum temperatures are around 33C.

Saturday morning is forecast to be rainy, but the skies will clear slightly during the day. Maximum temperatures will be around 26C.

On Sunday, some clouds still be present, which could lead to light rain, ZAMG says. Maximum daytime temperatures continue at 26C.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

WEATHER

IN PICTURES: ‘Exceptional’ Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

An "exceptional" dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent's climate monitor said on Monday, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime.

Published: 8 April 2024 14:15 CEST
IN PICTURES: 'Exceptional' Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the latest plume, the third of its kind in recent weeks, was bringing hazy conditions to southern Europe and would sweep northward as far as Scandinavia.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus, said the latest event was related to a weather pattern that has brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.

“While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns,” he said.

This latest episode has caused air quality to deteriorate in several countries, Copernicus said.

The European Union’s safe threshold for concentrations of PM10 — coarser particles like sand and dust that that can irritate the nose and throat — has already been exceeded in some locations.

A picture taken on April 8, 2024 shows a rapeseed field under thick sand dust blown in from the Sahara, giving the sky a yellowish appearance near Daillens, western Switzerland. – An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent’s climate monitor said, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The worst affected was the Iberian Peninsula in Spain but lesser air pollution spikes were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.

READ ALSO:

Local authorities in southeastern and southern France announced that the air pollution threshold was breached on Saturday.

They advised residents to avoid intense physical activity, particularly those with heart or respiratory problems.

The dust outbreak was expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia before ending on Tuesday with a shift in weather patterns, Copernicus said.

The Sahara emits between 60 and 200 million tonnes of fine dust every year, which can travel thousands of kilometres (miles), carried by winds and certain meteorological conditions.

The Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa saw just 12 days within a 90-day period from December to February where skies were free of Saharan dust, the local weather agency Aemet had reported.

SHOW COMMENTS