Image: Volker Weihbold
After the cool and rainy start to August, when many people had already taken their autumn jackets out of their closets, no one would have thought it possible: Upper Austria was hit by a heat wave again, and with temperatures of up to 34 degrees, this continues.
“That amazes even me. The mountains in Salzburg were already white. I thought to myself, we’re dealing with an Indian summer – so at most a few sunny, warm days. But no: That’s the longest uninterrupted heat phase in this one year. And the timing is also very good, because we are at the end of the dog days,” says Liliane Hofer from GeoSphere Austria (formerly ZAMG).
Dog days in 2023
In general, one speaks of the “dog days” in the period from July 23rd to August 23rd, which is the hottest time of the year. The “dog days” did not refer to the weather at all, but were of astronomical origin. The name comes from the constellation of the “Big Dog”, which is visible on Earth on July 23 and disappears again on August 23. The Greeks and Egyptians used to think the phenomenon was related to heat. That turned out to be a mistake, but the name stuck.
The midsummer weather will definitely continue in Upper Austria, especially today, Monday and tomorrow, stable weather and daily highs between 29 and 34 degrees can be expected. “There is hardly any risk of thunderstorms, at most a warm thunderstorm could develop, but the probability is low,” says Hofer.
It will be “more dangerous” on Wednesday, as cumulus clouds form in the mountains. “There is a lot of energy in the air, strong thunderstorms can occur locally,” says the GeoSphere expert. The temperatures remain midsummer on Wednesday with 29 to 33 degrees. The influence of high pressure will continue on Thursday, and storms are not expected until the afternoon.
Meteorologist Hofer can give the all-clear for all those who long for a cool-down: “On Friday a cold front will reach us, which will end the nice weather phase. The weather models still leave room for maneuver, but there are signs that it will be cooler again at the weekend. So ideal for airing after the tropical nights.”
- Detailed forecasts can be found at nachrichten.at/wetter
Source: Nachrichten
