The record rainfall led to numerous flooding of districts and streets, and mudslides also fell. An important section of the Rheintalautobahn (A14) was closed for hours, bringing traffic in the Lower Rhine Valley to a standstill. However, the end of the rain around midnight brought significant relief. Nobody got hurt.
According to the ZAMG, there were new records for 24-hour rainfall across the country by Friday afternoon: In Bregenz until 4.30 p.m. more than 200 liters per square meter came together (previous maximum: 174 liters/1968), in Dornbirn it was almost 180 liters (113 liters/2013). In Fraxers in the district of Feldkirch almost 160 liters (126 liters/2013) were recorded, in the city Feldkirch 150 liters (122 liters/1910). For comparison: On average, no more than 100 liters of rain falls in Vorarlberg in the whole month of August.
Video: Management report on Friday evening from Dornbirn
Cars got stuck in water masses
At the rescue and fire brigade control center (RFL) in Feldkirch, the events rolled over on Friday: water ingress into the building was reported every second, basements and garages in particular were full. Likewise, underpasses and lanes of important traffic arteries were flooded, several cars were stuck in the water masses. The Rheintalautobahn was not passable from 6 p.m. Friday evening until 2 a.m. Saturday morning. At times, the railway line from Dornbirn in the direction of Bregenz was also closed.
The Lower Rhine Valley was particularly affected, where, in addition to Bregenz, the focus was on the two communities of Wolfurt and Kennelbach. Streams that burst their banks flooded the town center of Wolfurt, and mudslides also fell. Several company areas were also flooded. Further south, in Götzis (district Feldkirch), a 200 square meter underground car park was two meters under water after a dam burst, in Altach the area in front of the Rheinauen swimming pool had to be flooded.
Lake Constance water level increased by 21 centimeters
If Vorarlberg’s watercourses had low water due to the drought of the past few weeks, they turned into raging rivers and streams on Friday afternoon. After the rains stopped, levels calmed down quickly, dropping to the “elevated mean water” level that occurs very often. The water level of Lake Constance – the lake is still very low – increased by 21 centimeters from Friday morning to Saturday morning – for Lake Constance to rise by just one centimeter, 5.4 million cubic meters of water are needed.
Tyrol got off much lighter – although there was also a rain warning for Vorarlberg’s eastern neighbor. However, there were also floods and mudslides in the Tyrolean lowlands. In Auffach in der Wildschönau (district of Kufstein), a landslide moved 100 meters of a municipal road, but it was quickly cleared. The emergency services were also alerted to Scheffau, Kundl and Wörgl. Precipitation was announced for both Vorarlberg and Tyrol on Saturday, but this should remain within limits.
Video: ORF weather expert Christa Kummer explains what people in storm areas have to be prepared for
Source: Nachrichten
