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:

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.

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