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RSS Feed General News12. 10. 09. - 16:00
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
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Tag cloud:
capitals history records Haselhofer L198 vehicles snowing club ZAMG L197 Lechtalstra Vorarlberg stretches Hochalpenstra Arctic Silvretta warmest Vienna temperatures Arlbergstra
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The most popular stories –
last 7 days
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.
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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