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Following the extreme cold, there is an increased risk of black ice in Austria. Geosphere Austria issued a yellow black ice warning for large parts of the country until Tuesday. The slippery conditions increase the risk of accidents and may cause local traffic disruptions. Road users should check that their vehicles are suitable for winter conditions and adjust their speed to the current conditions.
After the cold front, a warm front reached Austria from the west. Initially, it is snowing at low altitudes, but as the temperature rises at higher altitudes, the snow is gradually turning into freezing rain. Gesosphere warned that slippery road conditions are to be expected on cold roads.
Yellow is the second level on Geosphere’s four-level warning scale. It means caution, but only isolated weather-related disruptions and/or damage are to be expected.
Record low temperature measured
Earlier, on Monday night, the lowest temperature of the winter so far was measured in Austria: frosty minus 29 degrees Celsius was recorded by the measuring instruments at the Liebenau-Gugu station at 845 meters above sea level in Upper Austria. In second place was Schwarzau im Freiwald in the district of Gmünd in Lower Austria with minus 28.4 degrees at 788 meters.
According to Geosphere’s evaluation, Zell am See (Salzburg) came in third with minus 21.6 degrees. It was comparatively mild in Vienna. Here, minus 5.1 degrees Celsius was measured in the inner city – this corresponded to 279th place in the evaluation.
But in general, it was extremely frosty during the night. According to Geosphere, it was last this cold six years ago (2018) in Vorarlberg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, and Burgenland. In Tyrol, Salzburg, and Carinthia, it was four years ago (2021). In East Tyrol, it was three years ago (December 2022). In Styria, it was two years ago (December 2023). In Vienna, it was one year ago.
Extreme cold over for now
However, the extreme cold should be over: On Monday, a warm front will move across Austria from the west. By the middle of the week, temperatures in sunny areas will already rise to up to ten degrees. However, it will remain cooler, especially in the east and in the Danube region, due to persistent fog.
Disruptions possible at Vienna Airport on Tuesday
Due to the weather conditions, disruptions to flights to and from Vienna are to be expected on Tuesday. “We recommend that all passengers regularly check the status of their flight on the websites of the airline they have booked with. An up-to-date overview of arrivals and departures can also be found at https://www.viennaairport.com/abfluege,” advised Peter Kleemann, spokesperson for Vienna Airport in Schwechat, in a press release on Monday evening. Travelers were advised to allow extra time for their journey to Vienna Airport.
High avalanche risk in western Tyrol
With rising temperatures and recent snowfall, the risk of avalanches in the mountains is increasing. Caution is advised, especially in western Tyrol, when ski touring and other activities beyond the tree line. A high risk—level four on the five-level avalanche warning scale—was in effect on Monday for the Verwall Group, the eastern Silvretta, most of the Lechtal Alps, and parts of the Allgäu Alps.
In these areas in particular, fresh and drift snow is widespread on a weak layer of old snow. The drift snow accumulations are poorly bonded to each other and to the old snow, making avalanches very easy to trigger. Ski tourers should therefore watch out for rumbling noises and cracks when walking on the snow cover – clear warning signs that indicate very poor snow stability.
The danger situation will remain critical in the coming days. This continues to apply in particular to the far west of Tyrol. However, the avalanche danger is classified as considerable in large parts of the province – in Samnaun, Kaunergrat, the Weißkugel group, Sellrain, Karwendel, the Tux Alps, and the northwestern Zillertal Alps.
- source: APA/picture: pixabay.com
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