Storm: Higher water levels expected on the Inn, damage in the Tyrolean lowlands

Flooding in streams and small watercourses could be the result. On Sunday evening, severe storms finally broke out, especially in parts of the Kufstein and Kitzbühel districts in the lowlands. The fire brigades were in constant use. No one was injured.

• More on the topic: Flood danger not averted: In Upper Austria, the Inn and Danube exceed the warning limits

The emergency services had to be called out because of fallen trees, landslides and hailstorms. In Söll in the Kufstein district, the Eibergstrasse (B173) was blocked by a landslide. The road was then closed between the B171 roundabout and Söll. A heavy hailstorm with hailstones measuring four to seven centimetres in size damaged the windscreens of over 30 cars so badly that those affected could no longer drive. The vehicles had to be towed away. The drivers who were uninjured were taken to the Söll fire department’s equipment house, where they were cared for and fed, and their onward journey was organised.

Smashed roofs, damaged cars, flooded basements

Several smashed roofs, damaged cars and flooded cellars were reported from Scheffau am Wilden Kaiser. According to the report, the same picture was seen in the small community of Schwoich in the Kitzbühel district.

By late evening, fire departments across the country had been called out to a total of 124 operations. 60 were still ongoing, it was said.

According to the current precipitation forecast from Geosphere Austria, rainfall amounts of between 20 and 40 litres per square metre are expected in parts of Tyrol by Monday morning. However, this could be significantly higher locally. Showery rain is to be expected, which will be followed by thunderstorms.

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At the same time, the Inn is experiencing increased water levels due to the current heavy snow melt in the Engadin and the Tyrolean Oberland, explained those responsible. With the heavy rain, the water level of the Inn will rise both in the Oberland and later in the Unterland. “It is important to keep your distance from the Inn and from smaller watercourses. Also avoid flooded underpasses and ditches,” appealed the head of the Tyrolean Center for Crisis and Disaster Management, Elmar Rizzoli.

Mudslide in Zams: debris masses up to 3 metres high

Already on Sunday afternoon, after heavy rainfall, a mudslide occurred above the Tiroler Straße (B171) in Zams (Landeck district). The road was relocated for 50 meters. The rubble piled up to three meters high. The police closed the B171 to all traffic and a diversion was set up via the motorway. A hiking group – four adults and four children – was flown out by helicopter.

Although there were no floods or serious damage, storms with heavy rain and hail had already kept emergency services busy in the Tyrolean lowlands on Saturday evening and resulted in some local mudslides and minor damage. In Reith im Alpbachtal (Kufstein district), for example, a car with four passengers was hit by a mudslide and slightly damaged. The people were uninjured. Roads were also partially relocated in Mariastein and Auffach in the Wildschönau (also in the Kufstein district).

In Reith im Alpbachtal, several mudslides occurred, the police reported. These heavily contaminated the Alpbach state road (L5) and made it partially impassable. This is also where the incident in which the car was hit occurred.

Mudslide in Mariastein

In Mariastein, emergency services had to deal with a mudslide that was four meters wide and had slid down the slope about three meters. This blocked a lane on the L211. A local diversion was set up. No one was injured.

A short time later, a five-meter-wide landslide occurred in Auffach, which blocked the single-lane municipal road. The landslide had started in a very steep forest area above the municipal road and finally stopped in a flat meadow below the road.