By Saturday morning, severe thunderstorms had already developed again, and over the course of the afternoon, the storm activity shifted increasingly southward. The mountainous region around the Rax in Lower Austria was hit particularly hard: A wedding party and numerous mountain visitors were caught off guard by a thunderstorm there; lightning struck just a few meters from the Rax cable car’s mountain station. Shortly afterward, heavy rain and hail set in. In Puchberg am Schneeberg, 35 millimeters of rain have already fallen (see X-Posting).

Hail and severe thunderstorms were also reported on Saturday from Styria—including the Graz area. In Carinthia, near Wolfsberg, a thunderstorm suddenly rolled in around noon during a routine fire department operation. When lightning struck a power line, two firefighters were injured.

On Sunday, the risk of severe weather is expected to spread to nearly all of Austria. Heavy rain in particular could become a problem: Locally, 30 to 50 liters of rain per square meter are possible within a short period of time. This will be accompanied by hailstones up to four centimeters in diameter and gusts of wind reaching up to 90 km/h.

This is caused by a slow-moving cold front that is encountering the extremely hot air over Austria, creating ideal conditions for severe thunderstorms. 

Tropical nights are taking a toll on the population
In addition to the daytime heat, the nights in particular are becoming a burden. In Vienna and other metropolitan areas, temperatures in many places no longer drop below 20 degrees. This continues the streak of tropical nights, making it nearly impossible for buildings to cool down. 

The midsummer weather will continue into the start of the new week. Temperatures above 35 degrees are again possible in many places through Tuesday. The hottest regions will remain the eastern and southeastern lowlands. However, Austria’s June heat record of 38.6 degrees from 2013 is likely to remain out of reach for the time being.

While isolated heat thunderstorms will continue to be an issue, significant relief is not expected until midweek. By then, a stronger cold front could cross Austria, bringing not only new storms but also, at least temporarily, somewhat cooler air. However, it is still unclear just how much cooler it will actually get. 

Storm tore the roof off a company building on Friday
In Vorarlberg, violent thunderstorms caused chaos as early as Friday afternoon, especially in the Vorderland region. Fire departments had to respond to around 140 calls. In Rankweil, the roof of a business was torn off and crashed onto a parking lot—fortunately, no one was injured in the dramatic incident.

In the early evening, severe thunderstorms swept across the region, immediately triggering a wave of emergency calls. The rescue and fire department dispatch center recorded around 140 alerts, most of them in the Vorderland municipalities.

Fallen trees, wrecked cars, and flooded basements kept emergency responders busy. In Zwischenwasser, a stream briefly threatened to overflow its banks.

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