Lack of precipitation

Water levels: “From one extreme to the other”

Low Salzach water level due to the ongoing drought.(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

There was as little precipitation in five months as there was in September 2024 alone, says an expert from the Salzburg Hydrographic Service. That is "remarkable". Only three February months in the last 30 years were similarly dry.

Many people who observe the Salzach, Saalach or Salzburg's lakes have already noticed: The water levels are remarkably low. And there was remarkably little precipitation in February, according to experts from Geosphere Austria, for example: "For example, in the last 30 years or so, February has only been drier than this year three times, in 2011, 2003 and 1998." On average across Austria, there was 87 percent less fresh snow below 1000 meters this year than on average. Examples: High up on the 3106-metre-high Rauriser Sonnblick, only 79 centimetres of fresh snow fell in February, whereas the normal average would be around 206 centimetres. In Tamsweg there were also only 13 centimetres this year - the average would be 29 centimetres.

Harald Huemer from the Hydrographic Service explains the water levels.(Bild: Land Salzburg/Stefan Mayer)

Harald Huemer from the state's Hydrographic Service monitors water levels for a living: "It's quite striking and remarkable," says the expert himself. There is simply a lack of precipitation. By way of comparison, Huemer recalls the flood month of September - at that time, the water levels in Salzburg were record-breakingly high, especially in the lakes. Now the difference in water levels is up to three meters in some places. "In the past five months, there was as little precipitation as in the whole of September 2024." It's going "from one extreme to the other", says Huemer.

The situation is not critical, but rainfall now would be "important" for the groundwater.