Weekend of extremes

Hotspot Upper Styria: storm, rain and snow

It has already snowed heavily in the Gesäuse National Park.(Bild: Andreas Steininger)

An Italian low is moving across Austria and bringing weather chaos with it. In Styria, the north in particular is feeling the effects with gusts of wind over 100 km/h, lots of fresh snow and precipitation of up to 250 liters per square meter. The weekend of extremes at a glance.

The whole of Austria is in a state of emergency: the Italian low "Anett" caused chaos on Friday and continues to have our country firmly in its grip at the weekend. Several flood waves are expected for the Kamp reservoirs in Lower Austria - as a safety measure, navigation on the Danube between Vienna and Wachau has been suspended. In Upper Austria, people are worried that the Enns and Steyr will burst their banks and half a meter of fresh snow has already fallen on the Katschberg between Carinthia and Salzburg.

The extreme weather has also long since reached Styria. "Upper Styria in particular is the hotspot for the next few days," says Ubimet meteorologist Steffen Dietz. 60 to 80 liters have already fallen here in 48 hours - "and there's more to come by Monday", warns Dietz.

Graz is affected by heavy rain and gusts of wind.(Bild: Sepp Pail)

Once again, the Styrian fire departments were also called upon due to the amount of rain. "We mainly had to deploy due to fallen trees", reports Thomas Meier, spokesperson for the Styrian fire brigade association. Pumping work was also required and precautions such as sandbags and barriers were taken.

ÖBB line closed due to mudslide
The current weather situation is particularly challenging for ÖBB: in Styria, a mudslide between Aspang and Friedberg has already caused a closure that will remain in place until at least Monday evening. A geologist has already been on site and a rail replacement service is being set up. ÖBB had already issued a travel warning on Thursday.

Winter mood in Schladming.(Bild: Skigebiet Planai Schladming)

Asfinag also appeals: "In heavy rain or snowfall, avoid driving if possible, otherwise make sure you have the right equipment such as winter tires and snow chains, adjust your speed and increase your distance." And Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) and Deputy Governor Anton Lang (SPÖ) are asking the population to avoid forests, embankments and riverbanks for their own protection.

Up to 250 liters are expected
The worst is yet to come for Styria: "The low is moving towards the north of the Alps and we expect the situation to worsen," says meteorologist Dietz. "From Ausseerland to Mariazellerland, we're expecting 200 to 250 liters of rain - we've rarely seen numbers this high before." Gale-force gusts are also likely to accompany the heavy continuous rain. On Friday, 100 km/h were already measured in St. Radegund, on Saturday the highest speeds are likely to occur from the Bucklige Welt to the Grazer Bergland.

A lot of fresh snow is also expected in the mountains above 1000 meters above sea level. In wind-protected valleys, it could be one to two meters, predicts Dietz. At the mountain station on the Planai in Schladming and in the Gesäuse National Park, the picture is already wintry. The positive thing about the cool temperatures: "This will retain precipitation and prevent flooding," says Dietz.