Icy roads and huge amounts of fresh snow caused chaos on Austrian roads on Thursday. In several federal states, winter driving conditions led to numerous traffic accidents. The situation remained tense throughout the day. At the weekend it generally becomes a bit milder, but heavy snow storms can occur again, for example in Lower Austria.
Even on Friday evening it was not completely safe in many states. The highest level of alarm prevailed due to icy roads in Styria. In the Wildalpen area, 70 people were trapped because the roads were impassable due to the snow masses. In some states, the avalanche danger is still extremely high.
It is level four on the five-part scale according to the warning service in the Ybbstal Alps above the tree line. “Lots of fresh snow and stormy winds” make for a “sensitive” situation there, it was emphasized.
The vehicle fell 30 meters
During heavy snowfall, a car with five people crashed on Brucker Heuberg. The vehicle overturned and fell 100 feet into the woods. The emergency services were in continuous use.
Hundreds of liters of diesel escaped
The road was also snowy on the A2 in Carinthia when a truck driver wanted to overtake the car of a Styrian woman (72) at the Schwarzbach bridge near Bad St. Leonhard. As a result, the truck and trailer skidded, hit the car and buckled. The tank was damaged and hundreds of liters of diesel escaped. The A2 remained closed in this area for several hours.
Possible hurricane surges Friday
It will be a bit quieter in the coming days, but it will continue to storm from time to time. The snow line usually fluctuates between 700 and 1200 meters on Friday during the day. Initially, however, some snowflakes can be felt in the northeast up to the lowlands. In addition, there will be a strong to stormy west-northwesterly wind and hurricane force must be feared in places in the mountains.
A glimmer of hope in the west: up to eleven degrees in Vorarlberg
Only in Vorarlberg it remains mainly dry and the sun occasionally shines through. The morning temperatures rise to four degrees, the maximum daytime temperatures are between three and eleven degrees.
Heavy snow storms expected in Lower Austria
The weekend will remain rainy and snowy in the rest of the country. In the north it will be mostly cloudy on Saturday morning, but still dry. During the day, heavy snow storms can then occur, especially in Lower Austria. In the Mostviertel, the snow line is sometimes below 400 meters. Further east, only isolated hail or snow showers will occur. Sometimes even the sun comes out. Early temperatures rise to seven degrees and in the afternoon it can rise to nine degrees.
Dense cloud fields on Sunday
On Sunday, dense clouds and precipitation fields will dominate in the western half of Austria, in the Innviertel a few snowflakes are expected to a low altitude. The snow line in Tyrol and Vorarlberg is 800 meters above sea level before it will drop sharply in the evening. Further to the east it will remain sunny for longer, before more clouds come in from the afternoon. The maximum daytime temperatures are usually only between minus three and plus six degrees.
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.
