Spring or winter? Weather chaos brings surprises in the region!

Spring or winter? Weather chaos brings surprises in the region!

The weather report for the coming week shows an exciting mix of winter and spring temperatures. On Monday it will be cloudy and wet along the northern side of the Alps, while south of the main Alpine ridge there will be occasional sunshine and isolated showers in the afternoon. In the north, a brisk wind will blow from the north, while the strong northern foehn can bring relief in East Tyrol to Upper Styria. The temperatures are between 0 and 7 degrees in the morning, with daily highs between 5 and 14 degrees, like Small newspaper reported.

Tuesday brings dense clouds with some rain or snow in the north and northwest. However, large parts of the country remain dry and there will be relief later, the sun could come through. This means it will remain cool and cloudy in the north, accompanied by a moderate to brisk wind from the north. The early temperatures range between -1 and +6 degrees, while the daily highs are between 7 and 14 degrees.

Weather developments in the Eastern Alpine region

On Wednesday, the low pressure influence will decrease, leading to more frequent sunshine in the west and south. In the mountainous region of the eastern half, isolated rain showers are possible in the afternoon. The temperatures remain stable with early temperatures of -1 to +6 degrees and highs between 9 and 16 degrees. Thursday will bring widespread sunny weather, with the remnants of the disturbance dissipating. Occasionally there will be harmless cumulus clouds in the south. The moderate to brisk wind from the northeast ensures overall pleasant weather with temperatures between -2 and +5 degrees in the morning and between 12 and 21 degrees in the afternoon.

On Friday there will finally be signs of a stable high pressure influence that will dominate the spring. It will be mostly sunny, with just a few clouds. Winds remain light while temperatures rise from -1 to +7 degrees in the early hours of the morning to daily highs of 15 to 22 degrees.

Climate change and extreme weather

Amid this weather volatility, it is important to consider the impacts of climate change. According to a report from Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), published in August 2021, Earth's surface temperatures are rising faster than at any time in the last 2,000 years. Sea level and the concentration of greenhouse gases are also increasing unabated. This is leading to an increase in extreme weather events such as heavy rain and extreme temperatures. Humans are the main cause of these changes, which underlines the need to take action to combat climate change to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius, as explained by WWF.

The likelihood of extreme weather events is steadily increasing, and coastal flooding that once occurred about every 100 years is expected to soon become an annual occurrence. Heavy rainfall in Western Europe made climate change 1.2 to 9 times more likely, and the maximum amount of precipitation increased by 3 to 19 percent due to climate change. Adaptation to climate change is therefore necessary to mitigate the consequences of extreme weather. Ecological solutions such as the recovery of natural floodplains and water restoration could be crucial for flood protection.