Strong winds: trees fall and roof covered - Christmas night will be cold!

Stormy Christmas conjures up scary scenes in the contemplative time. Strong winds caused chaos in Oberdrauburg by uprooting trees that fell into the streets. The incident in which a roof in the region was covered is particularly serious. How ORF Carinthia reports, people not only experience a biting north wind, but also the deep cold, which ensures a clear but frosty Christmas Night, with temperatures of minus ten to minus three degrees Celsius. On Christmas Day the sun is expected to shine through and temperatures will rise to up to five degrees.

Storm phenomena and their effects

Such weather events are not unique and are reminiscent of devastating storms such as Hurricane Harvey that wreaked havoc in America in 2017 Web.de explained. Hurricanes and tropical storms form under special conditions—warm water and constant wind. The “eye” of a hurricane is a relatively calm area amid strong winds that spiral around it. Such storms often develop over the ocean and can cause enormous damage, especially to the residential areas they reach. Classifying hurricanes according to their intensity shows that wind speeds of over 70 mph (119 km/h) can have catastrophic effects, serving as a serious warning.

Climate change not only makes such extreme weather events more likely, but also more intense, meaning that the population must increasingly be prepared for such natural events. The current wind conditions in Carinthia can be seen as a forewarning of the increasing unpredictability of the weather in many parts of the world. The authorities are called upon to take preventive measures to better manage the dangers of such storms and to ensure the protection of the population.