The warmest February in Austrian measurement history – reports krone.at – was now followed, at least in the lowlands, by the warmest March so far – and the wettest in fifteen years. On the local mountains it was the ninth warmest March since measurements began.
“After September and October 2023, new record values were reached for two months in a row,” says climatologist Alexander Orlik of Geosphere Austria (formerly ZAMG). This is significant because there have never been two warmest months in a row since the series began in 1767. “Now this has happened twice within a short period of time, September-October and February-March.”
3.4 degrees Celsius above the long-term average
This March was 3.4 degrees above average for the climate period 1991 to 2020 in the lowlands of Austria and 2.4 degrees in the mountains. This results in first place in the Austrian lowlands in the series of warmest March months in the 258-year history of measurements and ninth place in the mountains in the 174-year series of mountain measurements.
Compared to the climate period 1961 to 1990, which was not yet hit as hard by global warming, March 2024 was 4.7 degrees above average in the lowlands and 3.7 degrees above average in the mountains, Geosphere reports Austria. On many days it was unusually warm and the average daily temperature was often between three and six degrees above average.
Deviation up to 4.9 degrees Celsius
The largest deviations from the climate mean were observed from Flachgau, through Upper Austria and Lower Austria to northern Burgenland and in parts of the Tyrolean lowlands; the deviation here was between 3.5 and 4.9 degrees.
At the end of the month the limit of 25 degrees was reached (in Oberndorf an der Melk in Lower Austria and in Schärding in Upper Austria). From a statistical perspective, such summer days (at least 25 degrees) occur approximately every five years in March in Austria. According to the climatological average, the first day of summer in Austria does not fall until April 18.
March record for mildest night
On March 30, a daily minimum of plus 16.5 degrees was reached in Wiener Neustadt, the severe weather center reported via X (formerly Twitter) – this is a new March record for the whole of Austria for the mildest night.
Rainiest March since 2009
However, the sun was 14 percent lower than the long-term average, while the amount of precipitation was one percent above average and therefore almost exactly close to the long-term average. Because the March months in recent years have been persistently too dry, this was sufficient for the wettest month since 2009 (74 percent above average at the time).
Above 1500 meters above sea level there were normal to above average snow depths. In Vorarlberg and Tyrol the maximum snow depth was ten to twenty percent above the climate average. In Salzburg, Carinthia, Upper Austria and Styria, snow depths corresponded to an average March. As in previous years, this year there was little to no snow at low altitudes, below 1000 meters above sea level.
Earliest apricot blossom since 1946
Nature has developed very quickly due to the warm weather of recent weeks: the apricot blossom was three weeks earlier than the average for the climatic period 1991 to 2020 and four weeks earlier than in the climatic period 1961 to 1990. It was the earliest date for the apricot blossom in the Observation series that existed since 1946.
However, the early development of the plants makes them more sensitive to cold air outbreaks with frost, which can still occur every few years until about early May.
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.
