Image: Volker Weihbold
The forecast Geosphere Austria. The values stay around zero degrees, at least in the morning. The hail insurance company reported that the frost has caused massive damage to agriculture in the past few days. According to a first interim balance, it is 35 million euros.
Because of the warmer than average March, the vegetation was already well advanced. In the Wachau, progress is more than 14 days earlier than the ten-year average, the hail insurance calculated. That’s why the frost was particularly bad now. The cold air from the far north has prevailed in Austria in the past few days and brought nights with up to minus eight degrees in planned locations in Burgenland, in Lower Austria and Styria.
The frost damage in agriculture has hit fruit growing hard – especially stone fruit with apricots, plums, nectarines and cherries, and sometimes also pome fruit with apples and pears. In the case of apricots, total failures are to be expected at certain points. “According to initial assessments by our experts, we are currently assuming that a third of the entire fruit area, i.e. around 4,000 hectares, is affected by frost damage. From today’s perspective, the total damage is around 35 million euros,” says Kurt, CEO of Austrian Hail Insurance Weinberger. “Only when the temperatures continue to rise and it becomes clear how the cultures are developing will the final extent of the damage become apparent. Temperatures below zero are also forecast for tonight.”
At the Good Friday minus four to plus five degrees are to be expected in the morning, the maximum daily temperatures are seven to 15 degrees, predicted Geosphere Austria. It is warmest in the south of Austria. In addition to many dense clouds, the day in Salzburg, Upper Austria and parts of western Styria and Carinthia is initially sunny. By the evening, however, the last cloud gaps will also close here. It rains at times, especially in the western parts of the country and in general in the east and south-east. From east to west, the snow line is between 600 and 1,200 meters above sea level. The wind from the northwest blows moderately in the east, otherwise the wind is rather weak.
At the holy saturday the morning temperatures already reach zero to five degrees, the daily highs five to 14 degrees. It will continue to be warmest in the south. But the day is mostly cloudy. Only in the extreme west and south of the main ridge of the Alps does the sun appear again and again. From the east, however, rain and snowfall spread to large parts of the country, with the snowfall line again lying between 600 meters above sea level in the east and just over 1,000 meters above sea level west of Salzburg. There will be a light to moderate west to northeast wind.
rain on Sunday
The Easter Sunday starts in many places with dense clouds and some rain and snowfall. The snow line in the morning is between 600 and 1,000 meters from east to west. In the course of the day it loosens up in phases and there is a rapid change of sun and clouds. Local rain showers mostly fall in the afternoon, the snow line rises to at least 800 to 1,500 meters. The wind usually blows only weakly from west to north-east. The morning temperatures continue to rise to one to five degrees, the maximum daily temperatures to seven to 14 degrees.
The easter monday brings changeable weather with a change of sun and clouds as well as short, unproductive rain showers, especially over the eastern half of Austria. In the west and southwest it is mostly dry during the day and the sun shows up frequently. Dense clouds from a disturbance without precipitation only reach Vorarlberg and the Tyrolean Oberland towards evening. The wind blows moderately, briskly in the east from northerly directions. The morning temperatures remain stable at one to five degrees, the daily highs at nine to 16 degrees, with the highest values in the west.
Vegetation starts earlier and earlier
At the Tuesday another fault zone crosses Austria from the west during the day and is mainly active in the north and east with rain and rain showers. The snowfall limits are now between 1,300 and 1,800 meters. At the same time, the westerly wind also picks up, sometimes strongly. In the south, it remains precipitation-free and partly sunny even during the day, otherwise the clouds only loosen up in the evening hours after the disturbance has passed. The early temperatures go slightly into the minus degrees and reach minus one to plus seven degrees, the maximum daily temperatures nine to 17 degrees, with the milder values in the south.
Also in 2016 there was severe frost damage, which many fruit growers still have bad memories of due to damage of more than 200 million euros, according to hail insurance. The following years 2017, 2020 and 2021 were also repeatedly frosty. And because of global warming, vegetation is starting earlier and earlier. In combination with frosty nights, which are generally not unusual at this time, the premature start of vegetation will continue to pose an increasing existential threat in the future.
Source: Nachrichten
