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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

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. 

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