"Never seen anything like it"

Hundreds of storm-related emergency calls; cars swept off roads

Around 400 emergency calls were received in the Bruck an der Leitha district alone.(Bild: Krone-Collage/BFKDO 03 – Bezirksfeuerwehrkommando Bruck/Leitha)

Thunderstorms, hail, and fierce gusts of wind left a trail of destruction across parts of Austria on Thursday and into Friday night. Lower Austria, Vienna, and Burgenland were hit particularly hard. Fire departments were called out hundreds of times.

The district of Bruck an der Leitha in Lower Austria was hit the hardest. Around 5:30 p.m., a severe thunderstorm swept through the area, causing widespread flooding in a very short time. Streets and basements were flooded, and trees were uprooted in many places. By early Friday morning, there had been a total of about 400 fire department callouts. A total of 321 firefighters were deployed.

(Bild: BFKDO 03 – Bezirksfeuerwehrkommando Bruck/Leitha)

(Bild: BFKDO 03 – Bezirksfeuerwehrkommando Bruck/Leitha)

(Bild: BFKDO 03 – Bezirksfeuerwehrkommando Bruck/Leitha)

(Bild: BFKDO Bruck/Leitha)

Car Hit by a Tree, Trees Uprooted
In Haslau an der Donau, occupants were rescued from a vehicle that was stuck in floodwaters. In Maria Ellend, a tree fell onto a residential building; elsewhere, a car was struck by a tree. The storm also caused damage in Schwadorf and Enzersdorf an der Fischa: roofs were torn off and trees were uprooted. In Margarethen am Moos, a truck even overturned on the B60.

“I’ve never experienced anything like this”
On Friday morning, District Fire Chief Christian Edlinger described the severity of the storm on Ö1’s “Morgenjournal.” In some cases, “vehicles were even swept off the road.” Even for the experienced firefighter, the night was extraordinary: “I’ve been a firefighter for 40 years, but I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

Hail, heavy rain, and strong gusts of wind in Vienna
Vienna was not spared from the severe weather either. Hail, heavy rain, and strong gusts of wind led to numerous fire department calls on Thursday afternoon. According to Christian Feiler, a spokesperson for the professional fire department, between 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. alone, there were about 60 weather-related calls in addition to their usual daily operations. These mainly involved fallen trees, loose branches, and pieces of scaffolding, as well as flooded streets. Emergency responders were called out particularly frequently in the Meidling and Liesing districts.

Severe Damage in Burgenland
The storms also caused severe damage in Burgenland. Kittsee was particularly hard hit, where the storm caused extensive damage. According to the district fire department, the scene of destruction was especially evident in Kittsee.

Cars, shopping carts, streetlights, and storefronts were damaged; roofs were torn off; and truck trailers were “tossed about like shoeboxes,” the fire department reported on Friday. The municipality called for volunteers on Friday to help with the cleanup efforts.

Delays at Vienna Airport
The storm also made its presence felt at Vienna International Airport in Schwechat. Weather-related delays occurred on Thursday evening. The weather is expected to remain unstable on Friday. 

Check for yourself to see if it will rain in your region on Friday as well:

Calm over the weekend
Rain showers will pass through again throughout the day, and thunderstorms are possible in some areas. However, the sun will break through from time to time. The weather will gradually calm down toward the weekend.