One of the first hot days in Carinthia ended in the evening with severe thunderstorms in several districts – the regions around St. Veit and Spittal an der Drau were particularly affected. Around 7 p.m. Ubimet issued the highest storm warning level for Villach-Land and Klagenfurt-Land. At the Millstättersee a man had to be rescued from an emergency.
Hail the size of table tennis balls, violent thunderstorms and heavy rain kept many Carinthians busy on Wednesday evening. “A total of 30 firefighting operations are currently underway, mainly in the districts of St. Veit and Spittal an der Drau,” reports LAWZ. The emergency services have to deal with flooding, fallen trees and damaged roofs. There is a risk of aquaplaning on motorways.
Mudslide and flooding streams
Skywarn Austria also warns of a severe thunderstorm just outside Villach. Although there were severe storms throughout Austria, the focus was on Carinthia and in the Weinviertel. The hailstones, some of which were 5-8 centimeters in size, also jammed traffic on the B100 Drautalstraße – the police had to turn out. At the same time, the fire service tried to clear the street of uprooted trees. “From 5:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., traffic in the area between Mitterbreite in the municipality of Lurnfeld and Spittal was seriously hindered.”
The L19 Innerkremser Straße in the Innerkrems area is also closed due to a mudslide and overflowing streams. The highest storm warning level has been in effect for the districts of Klagenfurt-Land and Villach-Land since about 7 p.m.
The Carinthian electricity grid was also damaged by storms and weather. Robert Schmaranz from the Kärnten Netz: “Fortunately it turned out not too bad!” In the beginning, the power went out in about 1000 households – especially in Spittal, Seeboden and around the Millstätter See: “Now there are still 350!” were damaged by fallen trees. Around 6 p.m., wind gusts of up to 96 km/h were also measured in Millstatt. Heavy hail fell in Arnoldstein (see video below).
Rescued from distress
Because of the storm, three swimmers were also searched for in the area of the Millstatt lido on Lake Millstätter See. “The FF Millstatt and the water rescue service Ferndorf were able to identify the alleged swimmers as several buoys in this area,” reports the Carinthian police. But the false alarm turned out to be a stroke of luck for a 31-year-old foil surfer (that is surfing without a sail)! Because the Millstatt police boat had spotted the man from the Feldkirchen district in the middle of the lake! “Due to the adverse weather conditions, he was rescued from his distress at sea and brought ashore safely,” said the emergency services.
This article is constantly updated.
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.
