Next week starts with heavy snowfall in the south – Austria

An area of ​​low pressure over northern Italy brings heavy snowfall at the beginning of the week, especially in southern Austria. “On Monday it snows a lot in Carinthia and East Tyrol. Rain is also possible at low altitudes, especially in Lower Carinthia, “says Michael Tiefgraber of the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG).

“On Tuesday it continues to snow and rain, but not so much. In total, 20 to 60 centimeters of fresh snow is gathered in the lowlands of Carinthia and East Tyrol from Monday to Tuesday. Up to 60 centimeters are expected, especially in Lesachtal and Gailtal. In the Carnic and Karawanken Alps, it snows about 80 centimeters in some places. “

In some parts of Salzburg, North Tyrol and Styria, you should expect a few inches of fresh snow at the beginning of the week. Also, on Mondays and Tuesdays, strong to stormy southern foehn blows in the mountains, which can also affect lower altitudes. Gusts of more than 100 km / h are expected in places exposed to peaks. On Wednesday the weather will be much calmer throughout Austria.

Current weather warnings for each municipality in Austria can be found at www.zamg.at/warnung.

The amount of fresh snow at the beginning of the week is not as extreme as in early December. However, it is interesting to look at the current snow loads: due to heavy snowfall in early December, snow loads on buildings in some regions are already within the range of the norm limits.

“In East Tyrol and Upper Carinthia, there are currently 250 to 300 kilograms of snow per square meter on the roofs. In the higher valleys, this is still well below construction standards. Below 1,100 meters above sea level, the corresponding lower normal values ​​for snow load are already exceeded in some places, “says ZAMG expert Alexander Radlherr, summarizing measurements and calculations from the past few days. Construction standard for snow load that was valid before 2006 has already been exceeded by 10 to 20 percent, which corresponds to 20 to 50 kilograms per square meter. The standard that has been in force since 2006, which has values slightly higher here, almost reached in places like Matrei in East Tyrol. The rest of the Iseltal is in the range of 85 to 100 percent of the old norm or 65 to 80 percent of the new norm.

The same applies to Upper Carinthia. For example, in the Upper Möll Valley, snow loads are currently 10-20 percent higher than the pre-2006 building standard and 75-90 percent of the currently valid standard. In the Lesach valley from Kötschach-Mauthen to Hermagor, measurements below 800 meters above sea level currently show 90 to 100 percent of the previous snow load norm and 50 to 70 percent of the current standard.

The snowfalls and rains next Monday and Tuesday increase the snow load. One liter of precipitation contributes an additional kilogram of weight per square meter. Thus, at the beginning of the week in East Tyrol and Upper Carinthia, an increase in snow loads of around 20 to 60 kilograms per square meter can be expected. “A structural engineer must decide if measures are necessary in certain buildings, such as shoveling roofs, depending on the structure of the building and the local snow load. You can’t judge that with large-scale evaluations, “says Radlherr.” Since accidents happen over and over when shoveling, you definitely have to ask yourself if it is necessary in a specific case. “