Severe Weather Alert!

Thunderstorm cells are now targeting Austria

(Bild: Krone-Collage/zVg, „Krone“-Leserreporter)

The calm before the storm is over: Severe thunderstorms have hit Austria on Friday. The Severe Weather Center is already showing widespread yellow and red alerts—a clear warning sign. Vienna, Styria, Burgenland, and Lower Austria are particularly affected in the late afternoon.

Anyone looking out the window right now will witness a spectacular natural spectacle in many places: dark towering clouds, lightning, and heavy downpours are pounding down. Heavy rain, stormy gusts, and, in some areas, hail may continue over the next few hours.

The most intense activity is currently being observed in eastern and southern Austria. Vienna, Burgenland, parts of Lower Austria, and Styria have already been hit by severe thunderstorms. The thunderstorm cells are not staying put but are moving on and could reach Carinthia later on.

(Bild: zVg)

Especially in areas where the thunderstorms are moving slowly or have come to a standstill, there is a risk of heavy rainfall in short bursts. Strong gusts of wind may also occur.

That’s why the weather is acting so erratically right now
The reason for these explosive weather conditions lies high up in the atmosphere: An upper-level low over the North Sea and the small low-pressure system “Cerry,” which is moving from France toward the Baltic Sea, are currently setting the pace.

A very warm and humid air mass is encountering significantly more unstable layers of air. At the same time, pronounced wind shear is allowing thunderstorms to develop with particular intensity. The ingredients for severe storms are thus in place.

The risk of thunderstorms will persist into the evening hours as well. While many regions can expect continued showers and thunderstorms, Vienna is likely to get lucky once again and remain largely dry overnight. However, the wind remains a concern: gusts may accompany the thunderstorms, ensuring that the weather remains unsettled even after sunset.

What to do during thunderstorms:

• Seek shelter in a sturdy building or a closed car in good time.
• Avoid open areas, mountain peaks, bodies of water, as well as isolated trees and forest edges.
• If shelter is no longer available: Keep your distance from trees, poles, fences, and other tall objects.

Temperatures will remain summer-like. The night is expected to be mild, especially in the east—in Vienna and northern Burgenland, lows around 20 degrees are possible. In the west, however, temperatures will drop significantly more.