Still a White Christmas in Austria? Here are the Odds

Austria has favourable prospects for a white Christmas: As predicted by the experts at Geosphere Austria, a low-pressure area will already cause - even heavier - snowfall in the west on Monday, and on Christmas Eve on Tuesday, it should also snow sporadically in the eastern lowlands.

In the first half of the day on Friday, it is widely overcast and especially in the mountainous regions, it snows down to lower levels. In the north and east, raindrops are mixed in below about 500 meters above sea level. In the second half of the day, the precipitation subsides and the clouds loosen up, especially in Upper and Lower Austria. The early temperatures range from minus three to plus five degrees, the maximum daytime temperatures from two to eight degrees.

Weekend is Mild

On Saturday morning, there are still local fog fields, otherwise the sun is widely shining. Only in the west are there already cloud fields. These spread out to the east during the day and sunny periods become less frequent, but it remains sunny in the south and southeast. The wind blows weak to moderate, in the Vienna Woods sometimes lively from southwest to west. The early temperatures are between minus seven and plus two degrees, the afternoon temperatures between two and eight degrees.

South of the main Alpine ridge, there are regional clearings on Sunday at first, otherwise the weather is predominantly cloudy all day with snow and rain during the day, and snowfall above 800 meters to 1,100 meters. Between East Tyrol and Southern Burgenland as well as in the inner Alpine region, there is also a temporary risk of freezing precipitation on frozen ground. Early temperatures range from minus eight to plus two degrees, the maximum daytime temperatures from plus two to six degrees.

Repeated Snowfall on Christmas Eve Across Austria

Under the influence of low pressure, another precipitation band reaches Austria from the west on Monday, with heavy snowfall along the northern side of the Alps. In lower areas, the snowfall sometimes turns into sleet or rain. By the evening, the precipitation spreads to the eastern edge of the Alps. Before that, it is precipitation-free and variably to heavily cloudy in the east and south. Early temperatures: minus five to plus two degrees, maximum daytime temperatures: one to six degrees.

On Holy Evening on Tuesday, Austria is situated between a low-pressure complex over the Black Sea and the Aegean, and a high center over the Bay of Biscay in a cold, northern current. This means that it snows repeatedly along the northern side of the Alps between Vorarlberg and the industrial quarter, with heavy snowfall in the northern precipitation areas during the day. Especially in the afternoon, individual snow showers also fall in the eastern lowlands. The early temperatures are between minus five and plus one degree, the maximum temperatures are between minus two and plus five degrees.

White Christmas Possible This Year in Bregenz, Innsbruck, and Salzburg

White Christmases in the state capitals are a rarity - the last time was in 2021 in Klagenfurt, before that in 2017 in Innsbruck and 2012 in Vienna and Eisenstadt. This year, on December 24, snow should lie in three major cities - Bregenz, Innsbruck, and Salzburg - although the forecast for the city of Mozart is shaky. "There will probably be nothing to find directly in front of the cathedral, but the mountains around Salzburg will be white," said a meteorologist.

"It was not extremely warm in December," climatologist Alexander Orlik explained this year's chances. And even after Christmas, it will remain cold, or there will be temperatures appropriate for winter, which will probably please skiers and tobogganers.

Individual Snowflakes May Also Find Their Way to Vienna

On the northern edge of the Alps, it will already start to snow widely from the Bregenz Forest to the Mostviertel on December 22 and 23, with the precipitation decreasing on the night of December 25. The snowfall limit will be between 400 and 600 meters in Linz, St. Pölten, and Vienna, with a few snowflakes possibly sneaking into the latter two state capitals on Holy Evening with a bit of luck. "There may also be a few white spots on Kahlenberg," said a meteorologist from Geosphere Austria.

(APA/Red)

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