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WEATHER

Thousands of homes in Austria left without power after snowstorms

Heavy snowfall in the south of Austria led to numerous power outages overnight with several roads still closed to traffic on Tuesday morning.

Published: 24 January 2023 11:51 CET
Thousands of homes in Austria left without power after snowstorms
Pictured: Snow in Styria (Photo by Thomas Galler on Unsplash)

The heavy snowfall in the south of Austria led to malfunctions at almost 190 transformer stations in western Styria during the night on Tuesday. About 4,000 households were without power Tuesday morning, according to Urs Harnik-Lauris, spokesman for Energie Steiermark. 

Additionally, 5,000 households were affected in Lower and Central Carinthia said the provincial energy supplier Kelag. 

In Carinthia, the snowfall had subsided during the night, but still, a few centimetres of snow were added in places Tuesday morning, ORF reported. As a result, schools in the entire district of Völkermarkt and the municipalities of Lavamünd and Preitenegg (district of Wolfsberg) remained closed on Tuesday since the way to school was sometimes simply too dangerous, the authorities said. 

READ ALSO: Energy crisis: What to do in case of a power outage in Austria

About 2,100 firefighters have been on duty in Carinthia since Monday because of the heavy snowfall. In total, there were 570 operations, mainly due to fallen trees and stuck cars and trucks. In the district of Völkermarkt alone, there were 160 operations.

Styria also heavily affected

The snow continued to fall in southern and western Styria on Tuesday.

Since Monday, it has snowed continuously at higher altitudes.

The situation in west Styria came to a head early on Tuesday morning when countless trees could no longer withstand the weight of the snow and fell, damaging numerous power lines.

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

More than 4,000 households were without power on Tuesday morning, said Urs Harnik-Lauris of Energie Steiermark: “The situation has worsened significantly. All parts of western Styria are affected.” 

Temperatures dropped significantly in the last few hours, he added.

“Rain has turned into heavy snow, causing trees to fall. At the moment, the centre of damage has moved from Carinthia to western Styria”, according to Harnik-Lauris.

READ ALSO: Who to call and what to say in an emergency in Austria

Weather forecast

On Tuesday it was forecast to rain in the south and the centre of the country until well into the afternoon, according to Austria’s meteorologic institute ZAMG. 

The snow line – above which rain turns to snow was forecast to be between 600m and 900m altitude. 

Forecasters did not predict any snowfall for the region on Wednesday with parts of Carinthia set to see some sun. 

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WEATHER

Weather warning: Snow and rain to hit large parts of Austria

Despite bouts of sunny weather, the cold will continue and snow is expected to arrive in Austria this week. Here's what you can expect.

Published: 12 April 2023 16:25 CEST
Weather warning: Snow and rain to hit large parts of Austria

On Wednesday, a cold front from the west is reaching Austria, and expected to spread on Thursday, bringing heavy rains and snow, according to UBIMET weather experts.

On the mountains, more significant amounts of new snow will accumulate once again. The rains will gradually decrease at the weekend, but temperatures are still cold for mid-April. 

From the middle of the night to Thursday, rain and snowfall will spread to large parts of the country, from Vorarlberg over the Salzburg region to the Mühlviertel and later also from East Tyrol to Lower Carinthia it will rain or snow, sometimes heavily. 

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

The snow line will gradually drop to about 800 to 1000 m, so a few centimetres of fresh snow can be expected in the central and western mountainous areas.

On Thursday, there will be frequent heavy rain, especially in the south, with the snow line fluctuating between 700 and 1000 metres. Therefore, large amounts of fresh snow is expected, especially in the central and southern mountainous regions.

From Vorarlberg to Upper Austria, the rain will decrease during the day, but the sun will appear at most in the far west for a short time. The wind north of the Alps will be moderate to brisk from westerly directions.

Weather warning in Austria for rain and snow (Screenshot: ZAMG)

On Friday, heavy rain from Salzburg across the Mostviertel eastward, especially in the Waldviertel and Weinviertel. The snow line will rise to about 900 metres. In the west and south, some precipitation will fall at first, but it will dry up during the day with a few sunny intervals, most likely in the Rhine and Inn valleys. 

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

Austria’s meteorologic institute ZAMG also warns of the rain and snow arriving as early as Thursday and winter conditions continuing over the weekend. 

Winter tyres

Until Saturday, April 15th, people in Austria driving their cars need to have fitted winter tyres (or proper equipment) if they are driving in “winter conditions”. That includes snow or ice water. 

READ ALSO:  Everything you need to know about driving in Austria in winter

Since the weather over winter had been relatively mild, with less snow, many decided to change their tyres for summer ones before mid-April, but that could be risky depending on the situation, especially near the Alps, where fresh snow is expected for the coming days. 

You can read more about winter and summer tyre regulations HERE.

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