April 2024 was divided into two parts: In the first half, temperatures reached record levels and were about ten to fifteen degrees above average values for this time of year. Then a cold wave set in, which eventually brought the month to an unspectacular 13th place in the ranking of the warmest April months in the lowlands.
“In the first half of April, more than 100 of the 280 weather stations reached new heat records for April. This included weather stations with very long series of measurements, both in the lowlands and in the mountains,” says climatologist Alexander Orlik from Geosphere Austria.
15 degrees at 2117 meters above sea level
“For example, at the weather station of the University of Innsbruck there was the highest temperature in April in the series of measurements that have existed since 1877, namely 30.7 degrees, and at the weather station of the University of Graz there was the highest temperature in April in the series of measurements that have existed since 1877. existed since 1884 with 30.5 degrees. The weather station at Feuerkogel recorded 20.9 degrees, the highest April temperature in the series of measurements since 1930, and on the Villacher Alpe at 2117 meters above sea level it was 15 degrees, the highest April temperature in the series of measurements since 1926.”
In mid-April, a burst of cold air ended the summer weather phase and snow fell to low elevations in some regions. For example, on April 23 there was five centimeters of snow in Lienz, two centimeters in Klagenfurt and Zeltweg and one centimeter in Reichenau an der Rax. In contrast to the exceptional warmth in the first half of the month, such cold air incursions are quite common in April.
The winter weather phase also ensured that the snow depth above 1500 meters above sea level was largely in line with the climate average by the end of the month. Overall, April 2024 was 1.2 degrees above average for the climatic period from 1991 to 2020 in the lowlands of Austria and 1.8 degrees in the mountains. Compared to the climate period 1961 to 1990, which was not yet hit as hard by global warming, April 2024 was 2.7 degrees above average in the lowlands and 3.4 degrees above average in the mountains.
More precipitation has been recorded
The amount of precipitation in April 2024 was 15 percent above the long-term average. At one percent above average, the number of hours of sunshine was almost exactly close to the long-term average.
Early pollen counts, then massive frost damage
Due to the onset of spring, which was very warm for a long time, the plants developed about two to four weeks earlier. The start of flowering of lilacs (80 years of measurements), apples (84 years of measurements) and pears (64 years of measurements) was even the earliest in the respective measurement series.
However, the onset of cold air significantly slowed development and caused massive frost damage to wine and fruit crops in some regions.
Source: Krone
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