A country is drying up – Drought: which communities are most affected?

Krimml in the Salzburger Pinzgau – on the border with Tyrol – is actually world famous for its waterfalls. Basically because at the moment one thing is missing: water. According to Ubimet meteorologists, it rained 58 percent less this year than the long-term average (1991 to 2020). So it fell much less than half the normal amount on August 17.

Just 36 kilometers further south, in East Tyrolean St. Jakob in Defereggental, a very different picture emerges. In 2022, 28 percent more water has fallen from the sky so far than in the past three decades. This leaves the Tyrolean community relatively alone. Only in the Salzburger Saalbach (plus 13 percent) the amount of rain is still well above average.

Dust dry floors
In the rest of Austria there is a drought with bone-dry soil, crop failures and relentless heat (see the chart above for details).

• In Feldkirch (Vbg.) 41 percent of the rainwater is missing compared to the average value.
• At the Schöckl near Graz (at 1445 meters) 37 percent are missing.
• Poysdorf in the Weinviertel (Lower Austria) reports 42 percent less precipitation.
• Wolfsegg am Hausruck (Upper Austria) even reported 47 percent less.
• Vienna is 38 percent in the red.
• At a minus of 39 percent, Eisenstadt is one of the driest places as any other state capital.

Especially Carinthia affected
If you look from the satellite to the east and south of Austria, unlike in the past, the color yellow predominates. Carinthia is especially affected.

• It rained 46 percent less on the Loibl Pass.
• 44 percent is missing on the Villacher Alpe.
• 39 percent each in Kötschach-Mauthen and Preitenegg.
• With a minus of 37 percent, Klagenfurt Airport also looks more like the airport of a Mediterranean city.
• The driest place in the state: St. Andrä in the Lavanttal with only 338 mm of precipitation.

In the meantime, a “water emergency” had to be declared in Langen (Vbg.). Since the water containers were empty, the 1,500 residents were asked to use the water only for personal hygiene (“Please don’t take long showers!”) and for drinking.

Thursday to 37 degrees
According to meteorologists, productive, area-wide quantities are not in sight. The mercury rises to 37 degrees on Thursday, heavy rain and thunderstorms will fall on Friday – but they will cool for only a short time, but the drought will not end. Nationally, 22.4 percent of the precipitation is missing. Instead of the usual 435 liters per square meter (until mid-August), it only rained 270 liters on the Hohe Warte in Vienna.