Heavy rain floods Mondsee: Fire brigade in action against Muren!

Heavy rain floods Mondsee: Fire brigade in action against Muren!

on Sunday, June 15, 2025, there were massive weather events in the Mondseeland in Upper Austria. At 7:15 p.m., a local thunderstorm moved across Mondsee and St. Gilgen, which took around 60 liters of rain per square meter in the Au-See region within an hour. These severe rains led to considerable damage and over 30 missions of the volunteer fire brigades from Oberwang, Grossenschwandt, Oberaschau, Innerschuhau, Au-See and Unterach

In particular, the Kienbergwand Landesstraße (L217) was affected by a Mure that completely blocked traffic. Fortunately, there was no vehicle on the road during the event, which possibly prevented worse. Section fire brigade commander Alexander Neuhauser explained that a vehicle had been pushed into the Mondsee, it would have driven the route at that time.

consequences of the heavy rain

The heavy rain connected to the thunderstorm led to basement overflowing, mutilations and decorations in several areas. At the time of the reporting, there were still two explanations in Au-See, which were processed with heavy equipment. Impediments through landslide were also recorded in the nearby areas, such as between Oberburgau and Kreuzstein in St. Gilgen. Here, the traffic had to be diverted over the B151.

In addition, Wagrain and St. Johann smaller landslide were also found, while Wagrainer Straße (B163) between St. Johann and Wagrain had to be closed due to a landslide. The fire brigade had to move out eleven times in Wagrain to make damage limitation.

climate change and extreme weather

The current heavy rain is symptomatic of the increasing extreme weather events that increase worldwide. According to a report by the World Climate Council (IPCC) from August 2021, the surface temperature of the earth rises faster than ever in the past 2000 years. Extreme weather such as heavy rain and floods become more likely due to global warming, and these incidents could occur more frequently and intensely in the future.

In this way, human activities, such as soil sealing and river guidelines, increase the risk of flooding. The increase in the number and intensity of such weather events not only is a challenge for the emergency services, but also illustrates the urgent need to take measures for climate protection and adaptation to the changed conditions. The recommendations for the German federal government therefore include increased focus on climate and environmental protection.

The situation around the Mondsee illustrates how crucial it is to react to climatic changes in good time and to adapt the municipal infrastructures to the increasingly extreme weather conditions. In the context of climate change, it is essential to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius and at the same time reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Fireworld reports that the volunteer fire brigades were strongly demanded during the heavy rain, while the Krone dealt with the exact circumstances and the consequences of the storm situation. The context of these events is also underlined by the findings of the WWF about climate change and its role in the increase in extreme weather.