Videos


Polls

  • How many medals will Austrian athletes win at the Vancouver Winter Olympics?
  • show result

    all polls




Flatscreens

Austria’s provincial capitals are expected to see their earliest snowfalls in history today (Mon) as Arctic air sweeps the country.

Early snow records set to be broken

By Lisa Chapman

Austria’s provincial capitals are expected to see their earliest snowfalls in history today (Mon) as Arctic air sweeps the country.

Josef Haselhofer from Vienna’s Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said today (Mon) Arctic air would probably result in the first snow cover in provincial capitals before 20 October in history and said Innsbruck, Salzburg and St. Pölten were likely to see snow.

He said as much as 30 to 40 centimetres of snow was likely down to 1,200 metres and snow could fall as low as 400 metres later this week, adding it had already begun to fall in Vorarlberg. He also predicted low temperatures would be minus five degrees at higher elevations and zero degrees in the lowlands by Thursday morning.

Haselhofer warned of possible impassable snow drifts in some places and the danger of avalanches in low-lying areas.

Car club ÖAMTC reported today that chains were mandatory for all vehicles on stretches of the Arlbergstraße (L197), Lechtalstraße (L198) and the Silvretta-Hochalpenstraße (L188) in Vorarlberg.

The club said snow was falling down to 1,500 metres and the snow line would drop to as low as 900 metres in the province before it stopped snowing there.

The record for early snow in provincial capitals was set in 2007, when snow remained on the ground in some of them from 20 to 24 October. The average high in October, according to ZAMG, is 15 degrees.

The snow warnings come after weather records tumbled last week, with a number of places seeing records for the highest October temperature in many years, according to ZAMG.

It said records had been set on 7 October in Vienna-Donaufeld, with a high of 28.6 degrees, the highest in 50 years, and in Großenzersdorf, Lower Austria, with a high of 28.5 degrees, the warmest October day there in history.

Austrian Times



Write your comment to this article here

  • Sir Gareth wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from Elk River, MN, USA

    Wait, the "global warming" EX-SPURTS have told us that by 2010 the global meltdown would be irreversable and that palm trees would be growing up and down the slopes of the Alps.

    Reply

    • Thomas wrote on 24. 10. 2009 from South Carolina

      The experts say that we are in an extroidinary cycle of sunspot activity. Now, we are in a Minima of sunspots and lowest ever recorderd which brings on colder temps around the globe. By 2011, we will be in a Maxima of activity which in the opposite, will bring on searing hot temps arpund the globe as well as drought and crop failures.

      Reply

  • Billy wrote on 13. 10. 2009 from U.S.

    Global warming is a fraud perpetrated by those who want either power or money. The evidence points to global cycles.

    Reply

    • korbach wrote on 15. 10. 2009 from workplace

      Well, this really shows that the green house effect is even worse than the most pessimistic previsions. Do you imagine the amount of energy needed to convert all this water into steam ?

      Reply

  • ncdebell wrote on 13. 10. 2009 from North Carolina, USA

    Seems the records would be impressively old in this part of the world.... Older than the newest rage of taxing the world's population for the natural changes that occur. Were dinosaurs taxed out of existence? Leave it to Al Gore and all his NOW RICH cronies to tell us it isn't cold when it is and that if it is cold, it caused by global warming. Surely there are intelligent people elsewhere in the world that don't buy this crap--literally. We have made these guys rich by buying their line.

    Reply

  • George wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from canada

    This is the Climate Change dager, the Global cooling. I think the cure should be a global tax the UN can administer and the beneficiaries are those that serve humanity and govern it behind the scene!

    Reply

  • rick wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from USA

    Does anyone still seriously believe in global warming? It always has been a joke. The Earth is cooling, no sunspots. The Earth will warm again, sunspots. DUH! Don't listen to these climate change alarmists. They are all about control and power. Protect the environment, stop polluting, yes, that's just common sense, something they don't have. God save us from the politicians and politically correct morons, they are going to destroy the world.

    Reply

  • sdgil wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from York, Pennsylvania, USA

    We blame Global Warming, er, Climate Change. This globe better not get any warmer or we'll all freeze.

    Reply

  • Jim van Lieshout wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from Jefferson USA

    At a speech in Madison, WI USA Al Gore had the microphone turned off when his movie's accuracy was challenged. It snowed the next day; guess Al's hot air isn't quite enough to keep temperatures even close to "normal" here in the States.

    Reply

  • Dubl D wrote on 12. 10. 2009 from California USA

    Oh no!! Global Warming, Global Warming, the sky is falling....oh no wait, that's just 400cm of snow. Disregard...

    Reply


Related articles: weather chaos

  1. Russian girl in intensive care after ski crash

    » General News 2010-01-06

    A ten-year-old Russian girl is in intensive care as she collapsed minutes after a skiing accident.

  2. Rescue helicopters in the air for 244 days last year

    » General News 2010-01-04

    Car club ÖAMTC reported today (Mon) its 16 rescue helicopters had been in the air for 244 days last year.

  3. Vienna overnights down

    » Business 2009-12-22

    Overnight stay numbers dropped in the capital last month, tourism bosses in Vienna have reported.

  4. Fourth freezing death

    » General News 2009-12-22

    A Lower Austrian inn landlord froze to death yesterday (Mon) - the fourth death by freezing in as many days in Austria.

  5. Hikers save pal after avalanche

    » General News 2009-12-22

    Three hikers rescued their pal when they dug him out of an avalanche and gave him first aid in Tyrol’s Stubai Alps today (Tues).

  6. Tyrol towns without power for ten hours

    » General News 2009-12-21

    Two Tyrol towns were left without electricity for ten hours yesterday (Sun) after a fault in an underground supply cable.

  7. Three freeze to death

    » General News 2009-12-21

    Three people froze to death in Austria over the weekend as temperatures plummeted to below minus 20 degrees Celsius in many areas.

  8. More weather warnings as freeze causes chaos

    » Panorama 2009-12-21

    Forecasters have warned of more treacherous weather on the way after freezing temperatures and snow and ice left three people frozen to death and caused transport chaos this weekend.

  9. Fourteen towns report lows of at least minus 20 degrees

    » Panorama 2009-12-21

    Fourteen Austrian towns reported temperatures below minus 20 degrees Celsius this morning, according to the Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) in Vienna.

  10. Austria will be left only dreaming of a white Christmas, say forecasters

    » Panorama 2009-12-21

    Most Austrians will be left only dreaming of a white Christmas this year, according to Vienna’s Central Agency for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG).


Tag cloud:
stretches  L197  Haselhofer  capitals  temperatures  Lechtalstra  Hochalpenstra  Arctic  Vienna  Silvretta  warmest  Arlbergstra  history  Vorarlberg  vehicles  L198  snowing  ZAMG  records  club


' '

Latest News

 

Old woman saved from fire
A 91-year-old woman was saved by her neighbour yesterday (Mon) after her house caught fire.

Avalanche danger warnings as more snow predicted
The danger of avalanches remains extremely high in many Austrian provinces with more heavy new snow on the way from tomorrow (Weds), experts said today.

Austrians cutting back
Austrians are cutting back as the economy continues to struggle out of recession, new research has shown.

Styria to invest €42.4mn in vocational schools
The Styrian government will invest 42.4 million Euros in renovation of provincial vocational schools, boarding schools and homes for apprentices, according to Social Democratic (SPÖ) educational councillor Elisabeth Grossmann.

Austrians targeted by fraudsters
Austrians are being targeted by fraudsters throughout Europe, police warned today (Tues).

German GLS Bank to open Vienna office
German GLS Bank announced yesterday (Mon) it will open an office in Vienna this year.

Millionaire gives it all away
Tyrolean multi-millionaire Karl Rabeder has told how he has given away his 3 million Euro fortune to help others after realising his money has never made him happy.

Footprints in the snow lead cops to arsonist
An arsonist who fled after setting a factory ablaze for the second time was caught when cops followed his footprints in the snow.

Waldorf school celebrates 30th anniversary
The Rudolf Steiner Foundation’s "Waldorf School Klagenfurt" celebrates its 30th Anniversary this year. Austrian Times correspondent John Morris was at one of the anniversary events.

National team give €20,000 for Haiti aid
The Austrian football national team have donated 20,000 Euros to the victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

 


The most popular stories –
last 7 days


city kids



2008 – 2009 website by KSH Systems