The first month of the new year was too mild and very cloudy. In addition, there were very different amounts of precipitation throughout Austria: in the west and north it was too dry, while in the south an above-average amount of rain and snow fell. In the lowlands, it was also the eighth warmest January in local measurement history.
The year 2023 started very softly, because already on New Year’s Day, Geosphere Austria recorded several January records in the provisional monthly balance. The weather station in Puchberg am Schneeberg in Lower Austria showed about 19.7 degrees. However, the Austrian-wide January record of 2015 with 21.7 degrees in Graz and Obervellach was not exceeded. The second half of the month then brought normal to below average temperatures, especially in the mountains it was significantly cooler than the long-term average. All in all, the first month was too mild all around.
Northeast of the Weinviertel “warmest region”
“January 2023 was 2.6 degrees above the average of the climate period from 1991 to 2020 in the lowlands of Austria, and 0.3 degrees in the mountains,” says Alexander Orlik, a climatologist. “In the lowlands of Austria this results in eighth place in the series of warmest Januarys in the 256-year history of measurements and in the mountains place 46 in the 172-year series of mountain measurements”. Compared to the climate period 1961-1990, which was not so badly affected by global warming, January 2023 was four degrees above average in the lowlands and 1.6 degrees in the mountains. The northeast of the Weinviertel in Lower Austria was the relatively warmest region of the country.
None of this was due to the amount of sunshine, because the first weeks of the year were relatively cloudy: the average number of hours of sunshine was 30 percent below the climate average. This is the sunniest January since 2013 – there was even 40 percent less sun.
The total amount of fresh snow varied widely from region to region
The west was at a disadvantage because instead of 97 centimeters, which would be statistically expected in Seefeld in Tyrol in an average January, there was only four centimeters of fresh snow. In the south, on the other hand, it snowed heavily in some regions. In Ferlach in Carinthia, for example, 89 centimeters of fresh snow fell, in an average January there is usually ‘only’ 20 centimeters.
Depending on the location, the amount of fresh snow in Carinthia was 50 to 300 percent higher than the 1991-2020 average. However, since it only became more wintery from the middle of the month, the number of snow days in Carinthia was also below average as in the whole of Austria.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
