Severe storms swept across Austria in the night of yesterday, Wednesday. Carinthia was particularly affected by the heavy rains, and the rescue workers were also on duty for hours in Salzburg and Upper Austria.
Carinthia: Boulders as hard as concrete that buried houses up to the first floor. Streets that have been torn away by mudslides. Flooding, as a result of which communities are cut off from the outside world: a civil defense warning was issued in meetings on Lake Ossiach and in the community of Arriach on Tuesday evening. The residents were asked not to leave their houses, there was danger to life outdoors. An 82-year-old man was found dead in the storm area of Treffen yesterday afternoon. According to civil protection, the pensioner who had been reported as missing had left his house and been swept away by a debris flow. Another Carinthian who was missing was rescued alive yesterday.
The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) speaks of an event of the century: within three to four hours it rained 97 liters per square meter in Villach and 118 liters in Arriach. “So in just a few hours it rained as much as in an average month of June,” says Gerhard Hohenwarter from ZAMG Klagenfurt. Due to the dramatic situation, the army with 100 soldiers and two helicopters was also deployed yesterday.
Salzburg: The situation in Salzburg’s Lungau was also dramatic yesterday. A civil defense alarm was also raised in Tamsweg because the Leissnitzbach was about to burst its banks. The population was asked not to enter underground car parks and cellars and to keep away from banks and bridges. A fire engine also crashed during the clean-up work, injuring six firefighters.
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Upper Austria: For the third day in a row, the fire brigades in Upper Austria were in continuous operation yesterday: the storm front, which swept across the country from 6 p.m. on Wednesday evening, required 1,300 emergency services by the time of going to press. 165 missions had to be processed. Many basements were flooded, trees blocked traffic routes. “In the city of Freistadt, the roofs of several houses were covered by gusts of wind,” says Thomas Dreiblmeier from the state fire brigade command. A passenger train on the Summerauerbahn had to be evacuated by the fire brigade because trees had blocked the railway tracks between Kefermarkt and Selker. The Mühlviertel was particularly affected yesterday. Already on Tuesday, 900 firefighters were on duty until the morning hours. The storm front moved mainly over the Hausruckviertel, Linz, Schärding and the Mühlviertel.
The heavy rains were fatal to a 23-year-old car driver on Tuesday evening. The man from Linz wanted to drive onto the Autobahn in Enns when he lost control of his car and slid over the guardrail. He fell about 12 meters down an embankment and landed in a water catchment basin. He was able to free himself and was taken to hospital with injuries.
3 questions for Reinhard Enzenebner
Expert of the Hydrographic Service of the State of Upper Austria
Mr. Enzenebner, is there already a risk of flooding in Upper Austria?
Although there were very large amounts of precipitation in Upper Austria, we are not yet assuming a flood situation. There is currently no danger from the large bodies of water in particular. The water levels are rising – for example in the Steyr and Enns rivers – but this is very regionally limited.
How do you think the situation in the state will develop?
With a view to the weekend, things will calm down, but the small streams should still be kept in mind. These are often unpredictable.
What advice would you give to communities located in affected areas?
I recommend watching the weather radar and preparing sandbags now. This means you can react quickly in an emergency.
Weather conditions only become more stable again from the weekend
After the weather situation in Upper Austria had been unpredictable in the past few days, things calmed down today, Thursday. Only in the mountains could there be occasional smaller thunderstorms or rain showers, otherwise sunshine and temperatures of up to 31 degrees can be expected, says Christian Resch from the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG).
Before a summery weekend, Friday will initially bring renewed rain showers and thunderstorms, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 21 to 27 degrees. Wind peaks of up to 50 km/h are also expected. “On Friday we’re going to cool down a bit before it gets really hot again on Sunday at the latest,” says Resch. With an almost cloudless sky, the thermometer will show up to 27 degrees on Saturday and then up to 31 degrees on Sunday.
Source: Nachrichten
