September 2024: Record rain and snow bring Austria to its limits
September 2024: Record rain and snow bring Austria to its limits
September 2024 will be remembered as the most precipitant month in the history of Austria's weather records. According to the surveys of Geosphere Austria, more than twice as many precipitation, namely 118 percent above average. This remarkable amount even exceeds the previous record from 1899, which was 111 percent above the average.
The weather phenomenon led to massive floods and degenerate from nationwide. The sudden change of weather in the second week of September was particularly remarkable when a cold front, after there were previously high temperatures for weeks, pulled a low pressure area across the country. This resulted in extreme rainfall that searched for large parts of Austria between September 12th and 16th.
extreme rainfall in different regions
The effects were enormous because more than 80 weather stations were measured new records for the precipitation in September. In cities such as St. Pölten and Langenlebarn, 447 millimeters fell, which far exceeded the previous records of 201 millimeters in St. Pölten (1937) and 175 millimeters in Langenlebarn (2014). In total, a rainfall of 100 to 200 millimeters was registered in large parts of the country, in some areas of Lower Austria, Vienna and Upper Austria even between 250 and 400 millimeters.
The geographical differences were clear: while Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Carinthia were below 80 percent above average, the precipitation rate in Upper Austria rose to 204 percent and even 290 percent in Vienna. These extreme values led to numerous rivers over the shores, which significantly increased the risk of floods.
extraordinary weather conditions
The problems were increased by the unusual amounts of snow that occurred in the deeper layers. In Styria at an altitude of 637 meters on September 13, five centimeters of snow were measured - an event that usually only occurs every five years in Austria. Snow depths, for example, were reported in the higher altitudes, for example at the Rudolfshütte in Salzburg, where 145 centimeters of snow fell on September 17, which has been a new record since the beginning of the records in 1980.
Interestingly, the region experienced a heat wave at the beginning of the month, which led to new September maximum temperatures in several cities. On September 3, in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg with 35.9 degrees Celsius, the record of 36.0 degrees from 2015 was almost discontinued. These extreme temperatures were then replaced by the drastic change in weather, which led to an extraordinary combination of heat and subsequent frost.Weather experts estimate that September 2024 was slightly above the normal level in terms of average temperature. In the lowlands it was 0.7 degrees warmer than the average of the years from 1991 to 2020, while a deviation of 0.1 degrees was determined in the mountains. These fluctuations are particularly interesting in the context of current discussions about climatic changes and their extensive effects.
A comprehensive analysis of these weather events and its importance for the region can report in more detailed ones, such as the Article by www.unsertirol24.com , are read.
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