A low point shoveled a lot of fresh snow into Vienna on Thursday – and the federal capital remains white.
A thick snow roller rolled over the whole of Austria on Thursday, in Vienna even the red weather warning level was proclaimed due to the snow masses – in the whole of the federal capital. Since the early hours of the morning, Ms. Holle has been shaking out her pillows over Vienna and letting it snow heavily. But what is the exact reason for the heavy snowfall?
“A marginal low over Italy moves east to north-east towards Slovakia or southern Poland on Thursday, meteorologists speak of a so-called ‘5B low’, as this railway line was classified more than 100 years ago”, explains weather expert Nikolas Zimmermann from UBIMET to “Today”.
Half a meter of fresh snow in Vorarlberg
Such lows bring the best chances for heavy snowfall, especially in the south-east and east of Austria, “because we are then mostly on the ‘cold side’ of the low and at the same time a lot of moisture from the Mediterranean is involved. It is already on Thursday night it snowed heavily in the far west and south of the country.
Zimmermann: “In Fraxern in Vorarlberg there was even almost half a meter of fresh snow. Around 20 to 30 centimeters of snow were also measured in East Tyrol and Upper Carinthia, but in Graz there was at least 15 centimeters. On Thursday, the focus is on the east of the country.”
“Snowfall in Vienna continues”
There is already a lot of fresh snow in the federal capital. But how much of the “white splendor” still comes? “The snowfall lasts until the evening with moderate intensity, the snowfall only slowly subsides during the night. In the coming hours you have to continue to expect deep winter weather conditions, especially in the western outskirts, another ten centimeters are added,” says Zimmermann “Today”.
And the meteorologist adds: “In the city center and in the eastern districts the temperature will be around +1 degree in the next few hours, accordingly the accumulation will no longer be effective here, but another 5 centimeters can also be expected here”.
Power failures cannot be ruled out
According to Zimmermann, in the coming hours, especially in eastern Austria, road conditions in deep winter have to be expected, and in some places snow chains will also be mandatory. Due to the sometimes damp, heavy snow, branches could occasionally break, and in the worst case, power interruptions in remote locations could not be ruled out.
“The public transport sometimes has its difficulties, especially some bus connections. In the mountains from Vorarlberg to Upper Carinthia, on the other hand, there is a considerable to great danger of avalanches, winter sports enthusiasts should stay on the secured slopes here for the time being,” says Zimmermann.
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