Storm alarm in Austria: Violent thunderstorms and hail up to 6 cm awaited!

Storm alarm in Austria: Violent thunderstorms and hail up to 6 cm awaited!

Österreich - violent thunderstorms and hailstorms today move across Austria and could cause massive damage, especially in the southeast and west of the country. The forecasts indicate that hailstones with a diameter of up to six centimeters could fall, especially affected regions such as Styria, Carinthia and the Murtal.

like 5min.at , the warning of the stormy center "Skywarn" is taken particularly seriously in these areas. Thunderstorms with storm potential have been observed in Carinthia and Styria since the morning. From the early afternoon, the formation of super cells is expected in the outermost southeast.

warning levels and forecasts

The warning levels are alarming. For the southeast, there is a red warning that provides for super cells with heavy rain, gusts of wind and a significant hail. Smaller hailstones up to four centimeters are expected in the west, but here too there are strong gusts of wind, sometimes over 103 km/h. An orange warning framed the red areas with similar, but less likely occurring dangers.

The storms seem to move from Switzerland to western Austria between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. In Vorarlberg, Tyrol, Salzburg, and parts of Upper Austria, strong side effects such as heavy rain and local floods can be expected. Thunderstorms are expected to radiate in Lower Austria and Vienna at night, which could further tighten the situation.

climate change and extreme weather

The frequency of such extreme weather events is also reinforced by climate change. According to a report by the World Climate Council (IPCC), the surface temperatures of the earth rise faster than ever in the past 2000 years, which leads to an increase in extreme weather conditions. Recognized causes include the increasing CO2 concentrations and the unchecked global warming. This leaves storm events that used to be rare, as in previous years and especially today.

The WWF informs in this context that heavy rain cases due to climate change have become 1.2 to 9 times more likely. Extreme weather events such as the current thunderstorms are therefore not to be considered isolated, but part of a comprehensive, global problem. The flood disaster in Germany in 2021, which demanded over 180 fatalities and brought massive destruction, is also an example of the catastrophic effects that can have such extreme weather events.

The weather calming is only expected to be in the middle of the week, but a new fault zone should be expected from Thursday. This could again bring inconsistent weather with showers and thunderstorms, which could further increase the tension among the population.

For detailed information about the current weather conditions, visit the sources: 5min.at , Today.at and wwf.de .