Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Austrian avalanches leave three dead

A series of avalanches in Austria has left three people dead since Friday, as the ski season gets into full swing, with authorities warning of the risks posed by a particularly unstable snow cover.

Published: 4 February 2023 17:43 CET
Austrian avalanches leave three dead
Cable car cabins transport ski tourists to and from a ski lift station in the skiing region Kitzbuehler Alpen, Hollersbach, Austrian province of Salzburg, on November 27th, 2022. Photo by KERSTIN JOENSSON / AFP

“One winter sports enthusiast was killed in an avalanche in Kaltenbach on Saturday,” a police spokesman told AFP, declining to give any information about the circumstances of the accident in the small Alpine village.

According to the Austrian news agency APA, the victim was a 17-year-old New Zealander who was skiing off-piste.

On Friday, a 32-year-old Chinese man, also said to be skiing away from the designated routes, died in an avalanche in the resort of Soelden. 

A third victim was found dead on Saturday after being reported missing the previous day. APA reported that the man was 50 years old and died in the Kleinwalsertal valley on the border with Germany.

Over the past two days, intensive snowfall and wind have increased the avalanche danger in the Alpine Tyrol and Vorarlberg regions.

Warnings have been issued in both these popular ski resort regions, urging winter sports enthusiasts to exercise caution.

However an alert level four, on a scale of five, has not prevented many holidaymakers from venturing off the marked slopes, authorities said.

The avalanche situation also led to numerous rescue operations on Saturday, made hazardous by the weather conditions.

And two people have been killed in neighbouring Switzerland, where two off-piste skiers were killed by an avalanche Saturday morning in the southeastern canton of Graubuenden, the cantonal police said.

A third member of the group was caught up in the flow of snow but managed to escape unharmed, local police said in a statement.

The two skiers who died were a 56-year-old woman and a 52-year-old man, said police.

The rescue operation there was hampered by poor visibility and bad weather conditions, police said.

The February school holidays have begun in Vienna and resorts have filled up, after a gloomy start to the season, marked by the absence of snow at low and medium altitudes.

In recent years, in Austria, a leading winter sports destination, there have been an annual average of 20 deaths on the slopes.
  

Member comments

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

WEATHER

Winter weather set to make a comeback in Austria

Just as thermometers reached double digits, cooler temperatures are about to hit Austria again, and the Alps could see fresh snow over the weekend.

Published: 24 March 2023 12:11 CET
Winter weather set to make a comeback in Austria

Austrians were ready to embrace spring weather, with temperatures reaching 20C in the last couple of days. However, winter is about to make a comeback at least for now, according to the forecast of Geosphere Austria, the country’s meteorologic institute.

Initially, it will be very mild once again, but from Friday, the weather will become more unsettled and a significant cooling is expected, with rain or snow on the northern side of the Alps. 

Particularly on Monday it will cool down even further and it will be stormy in most parts of the country, the institute said.

READ ALSO: German word of the day: Der Blitzfrühling

Cloudy weekend

Saturday will alternate with sun and a few denser clouds until the evening. Especially in the mountainous and hilly areas, rain showers are to be expected with a snow line around 1,500 metres above sea level.

Early temperatures will range from 2C to 1C, with daytime highs from 11C to 17C.

READ ALSO: Top tips to protect yourself from storms in Austria

From the west, more clouds will move in on Sunday and especially in the mountains there will be some showers, and there could be more rain in the afternoon.

In the evening, clouds will begin to break up in the west. Winds will be light to moderate, and at higher altitudes it will be brisk. Early temperatures will range from 1C to 8C, with daytime highs from 9C to 18C.

Sunny but cold spells on Monday

Clouds will continue to move through on Monday, with sunny spells. On the northern side of the Alps, the clouds will remain mostly dense all day and it will rain or snow, the snow line will drop from initially around 700 metres to low elevations. 

Away from the northern areas, there will be short showers. The wind is set to shift from west to northwest and it could even be stormy. Early temperatures will only reach -1C to 7C, with daily highs of 4C to 13C. Lower temperatures are expected on the northern side of the Alps. The highest temperatures are in the southeast.

READ ALSO: Colds and flu: What to do and say if you get sick in Austria

On Tuesday, the weather calms down a bit, with fewer clouds and storms. However, on the northern side of the Alps, dense clouds will persist and it will still snow at times. Away from the mountains, short showers will continue with some bursts of sunshine.

The snow line will be at low altitudes, in the west it will gradually rise to around 400 metres in the afternoon. Early temperatures of -6C to 0C and daytime highs of 4C to 8C are expected. 

SHOW COMMENTS