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WEATHER

MAP: Where will storms hit Austria this weekend?

After five people died in severe storms on Thursday August 18th, Austria's meteorologists warn of more rainfall and strong winds over the weekend. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 19 August 2022 16:45 CEST
Updated: 20 August 2022 10:14 CEST
MAP: Where will storms hit Austria this weekend?
Severe storms wreak havoc in Austria (Photo by Jonas Kaiser on Unsplash)

Five people died when strong winds uprooted several trees in the southern states of Austria, and storms are forecast to hit the country this Friday (August 19th) and Saturday (20th), according to weather agency ZAMG.

This Friday, there are warnings for thunderstorms, rain, and heat in most of the country – especially the east and south. You can check ZAMG’s warning map here:

Weather warnings for Friday, August 19th (ZAMG)

The highest alert now in place is in the orange areas (close attention warning), where the “current weather can lead to risks, disturbances to everyday life and damage. Pay close attention to the ongoing weather forecasts”.

READ ALSO: Austria heading into a rainy and cooler weekend after heatwave peak

The yellow areas (caution warning) are places where “caution in the current weather circumstances is urged, but only isolated weather-related risks and/or damages are expected”, according to ZAMG.

It should continue to rain during the night in the west of Austria, especially near the Alps. In the rest of the country, the weather is also temporarily unstable and some rain, showers and thunderstorms are expected at night – reaching the far east then.

Rain but fewer thunderstorms on Saturday

On Saturday, the weather forecast is still for rain in most parts of the country, especially on the northern side of the Alps between Vorarlberg and Salzburg.

Later in the day, the rain should affect the eastern part of Austria, where it will be warmest, with temperatures of up to 28C expected.

Extreme weather alerts (attention warnings) are in place for the east of Austria, including Vienna and surroundings and Burgenland and the Innsbruck and Salzburg regions.

Weather warnings for Saturday, August 20th, in Austria (ZAMG)
 
On Sunday, there are still some residual clouds – and, therefore, possibly some rain, but no forecast for thunderstorms or any extreme weather warning by the ZAMG.

What to do in case of severe storms?

According to Die Helfer Wiens (The Helpers of Vienna), one of the most significant risks during a storm is being hit by a falling tree or flying debris.

For this reason, they advise people (and pets) to stay indoors during a storm as well as to close all windows and doors.

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

If staying in a tent or campervan, it’s also advisable to seek shelter in a building (if possible) until the storm has passed.

The same goes for those walking or driving, and authorities say the best advice is to stay away from the forest or areas with lots of trees during a storm.

Don’t underestimate the risks. The recent deadly storm lasted only for ten minutes but caused destruction in valleys and just a few (but strong) gusts of wind had fatal consequences.

Even if there was no extreme weather warning for your region, take the necessary care – Thursday’s thunderstorm in Carinthia came with no warning due to an extremely rare mixture of factors. The atypical heat led to even stronger winds.

“To a certain extent, thunderstorms are unpredictable”, said ZAMG Klagenfurt head Christian Stefan. As a result, the weather institute had only a yellow warning for the southern Carinthia region early on Thursday.

Useful vocabulary

Wind – Wind
Rain – Regen
Thunderstorm – Gewitter
Heat Stress – Hitze
Caution – Vorsicht
Attention – Achtung

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WEATHER

After mini tornado and floods should Austria expect a summer of extremes?

Extreme weather events have become more common and more dangerous worldwide. This week Austria experienced some of its own extreme weather with thunderstorms and even a 'small' tornado hitting the country.

Published: 22 May 2024 17:27 CEST
After mini tornado and floods should Austria expect a summer of extremes?

Heavy rainfall led to flooded cellars and muddy roads in Lower Austria on Tuesday afternoon.

In Styria, Graz residents recorded what seemed to be a tornado in the city (the head of the Styrian meteorological agency later confirmed a “small” tornado there), with large amounts of rainfall causing havoc.

Austria’s meteorological institute Geosphere Austria had already warned of thunderstorms, some of them heavy, moving north through the country—an alert that included the possibility of landslides and flooding. 

The warnings have been plentiful. Recently, experts alerted that global warming would make extreme weather events much more frequent and stronger, as The Local reported.

Summers, in particular, could see torrential downpours, hail storms as well as heat waves. 

Four heatwaves occurred in 2023, two of which lasted an unusually long time, lasting up to 18 days (July) and 16 days (August).

READ ALSO: How to protect yourself during storm season in Austria

So what about this summer?

There is nothing to indicate that people in Austria will have some relief this summer.

In fact, it has been a warmer than average year so far, with record temperatures throughout. According to Geosphere Austria, the recent winter was one of the two warmest on record.

February followed the trend, and it was the hottest in Austrian history. Parts of Austria also saw record heat in March, while there was “summer in April” in the Alpine country. GeoSphere Austria expects the country to be heading towards a hotter summer season also in 2024. 

Already in June, the probability of above-average temperatures is 60 percent.

In July, above-average temperatures will occur in about 60 percent of the cases. The probability of average temperatures is 20 percent, the same as the chance of below-average temperatures. 

The probability of above-average temperatures in August is just under 80 percent. Average temperatures occur in about a quarter of the cases, and the likelihood of below-average temperatures is less than 10 percent.

READ ALSO: What is Austria’s official emergency-warning phone app and do I need it?

The institute does point out that a seasonal forecast is not an exact forecast in the sense of a 3-day overview but a “rough estimate of the average temperatures conditions in the Eastern Alps”. 

It may seem counterintuitive to think that Austria could be heading for a summer of drought and heavy rains. Still, experts explain that the hotter temperatures make extreme events more likely.

And Austria is more affected by warming than the global average, mainly because it is located in the middle of the continent, and land masses warm up faster than oceans. 

Because of that, the Alpine Republic has already been 2C warmer on average over the last 30 years, almost twice as much as the global temperature increase compared to pre-industrial times.

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