Severe Storms in Styria: Up to 20 Centimeters of Hail in Schöder

Renewed Warning for Thursday

Skywarn Austria renewed its severe weather warning on Wednesday evening and also announced heat thunderstorms in Styria for Thursday. According to the meteorologists, hail and heavy rain are again expected in parts of the region. The warning applies in particular to the Upper Mur Valley, the district of Murau, and adjacent areas.

In the area of Baierdorf, also located in the district of Murau, the masses of water likewise caused restrictions. Roads were temporarily impassable, and residents reported flooded basements and damaged vehicles. The storm also left its mark in the adjacent Upper Mur Valley.

The L704 Sölkpassstraße, an important connecting road in the region, was closed according to local authorities due to the storm damage, or at best was only passable to a limited extent. Commuters and tourists had to use alternative routes.

Impacts on Roads and Communities

In addition to the district of Murau, parts of the districts of Liezen and Leoben were also affected by heavy rain and thunderstorms. Emergency services in the affected regions remained on heightened alert after Wednesday's incidents in order to be able to respond to further events on Thursday.

Heat thunderstorms form when warm, moist air masses rise and pile up into powerful clouds. Under certain conditions, large hailstones can form within them, growing larger and larger as they cool in the cloud through several upward and downward movements until they become too heavy and fall to the ground.

How Heat Thunderstorms Form

Skywarn Austria advises residents in the affected regions to secure loose objects outdoors, protect basements and light wells from incoming water, and closely monitor weather developments. In the event of a thunderstorm, one should also not stay outdoors.

The fire departments and civil protection authorities in Styria closely monitored the situation on Wednesday evening and coordinated preparations for possible further operations on Thursday. When a final all-clear could be expected remained unclear as of that evening.

Weather extremes such as the current hailstorm in Styria fit a pattern that meteorologists have observed increasingly frequently in recent years. According to them, severe thunderstorms with large hail and localized heavy rain are occurring more often and with greater intensity in Central Europe.