The Austria-wide temperature deviation in winter 2024/25 is +1.3 degrees compared to the long-term average from 1991 to 2020
Viewed nationwide, this winter was the driest since 1997 (-55%).Since 1961 it was only drier in winter 1964 (-59%).
Winter 2024/25 was one of the 15 warmest since the start of the fair. Despite the wet end, there was also exceptionally little rainfall in southeast Austria.
Many areas from Graz to Vienna have experienced one of the driest winters in measurement history.
The end of the cold season was also above average sunny this year.
Mild winter, but little extremes
There were particularly pronounced anomalies in middle and higher altitudes as well as in East Tyrol and Carinthia, where deviations between +1.5 and +2 degrees were usually recorded. In the lowlands from Lake Constance to the Danube region as well as in some valleys such as the Salzach and Enns valleys, winter was around 0.5 to 1 degree too mild thanks to inversion weather conditions.
January in particular was also characterized by new temperature records, otherwise the winter was rather anonymous in terms of temperature technology –, although on average it was too mild. The -20 degree mark was not reached anywhere in inhabited areas this year, although it was very scarce in the first half of January.
At the end of the month, the first spring feelings appeared: With around +18 degrees there were in Bregenz and Dornbirn on January 25th. new January heat records.
In the meantime, new January monthly records of the temperature maxima in #Bregenz, Dornbirn and Gaschurn recorded. At 36 other stations there were daily records for the 25th January.
Record drops and low snow
The winter was too dry nationwide, there are only individual places in the southwest half – such as Dornbirn in Vorarlberg, Mayrhofen in Tirol or the Loiblpass in Carinthia – which received an average amount of precipitation.
Nationwide, however, the deviation is a remarkable -46%.
The precipitation deficit from Styria and Burgenland via Vienna to the Waldviertel is particularly considerable: around 60% to 80% of the usual winter precipitation is missing here.
At many stations between Graz and Vienna, winter 2024/25 is among the three driest in the respective measurement history.
In southern Styria and southern Burgenland there was often only 6 to 9 days with significant precipitation over 1 l / m ² throughout the winter, i.e. a total of 90 days.
Viewed nationwide, this winter was the driest since 1997 (-55%).Since 1961 it was only drier in winter 1964 (-59%).
The meteorological winter that is coming to an end has been dry and warm in Tyrol. It was relatively warm, especially on the mountains, as the data from GeoSphere Austria show. However, the drought was less severe in Tyrol than in some eastern provinces.
While Lower Austria, Styria, Burgenland and Vienna, for example, received 50 to 70 percent less precipitation, Tyrol had a rather moderate precipitation deficit with a minus of 28 percent.
On average in Austria, there was 45 percent less precipitation from the beginning of December to the end of February. At the weather station in Rinn (district of Innsbruck-Land), the average precipitation of the past three decades was even slightly exceeded, but only by two percent.
High-pressure areas deflected low-pressure areas
Alexander Orlik from GeoSphere Austria attributes the dry weather to high-pressure areas, which deflected low-pressure areas to the north or south of Europe.
In terms of temperatures, the winter was very mild, but not as mild as the winter a year earlier. On the mountains it was 1.7 degrees milder throughout Austria, in the lowlands by 1.1 degrees.
In Tyrol, it was on average 1.4 degrees warmer than the long-term average. The highest temperature was measured on February 22 in Jenbach with 18.4 degrees, the lowest temperature in locations below 1,000 meters on January 4 in Ehrwald with minus 17.6 degrees.
Sunshine record in the high mountains
The winter was relatively sunny in Tyrol. On average, the sun shone longer from the sky by eleven percent. Especially in the eastern parts of North Tyrol there was more sun than in other years. In absolute numbers, the most sun was registered at the high mountain weather station on the Hinterer Brunnenkogel in the Ötztal Alps. At the station, which is located at an altitude of 3,437 meters, the sun shone for 469 hours.
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Fri 28-02-25 9:30; edited 1 time in total
After all it is free
After all it is free
Yes this is the first Season in 25 that I have not done a day ski tour from Vienna. I‘ve never got to March before without doing a ski tour.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Origen,
Quote:
Only on the righteous
Brilliant!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
DB wrote:
Yes this is the first Season in 25 that I have not done a day ski tour from Vienna. I‘ve never got to March before without doing a ski tour.
Urrgh - I'd better check the Mayrhofen webcams to see if we need to pack our walking boots & sun-hats for our 8th March week...
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Quote:
thou....... shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth
(Revelation)
Especially skiers?
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Dylan_T42 wrote:
DB wrote:
Yes this is the first Season in 25 that I have not done a day ski tour from Vienna. I‘ve never got to March before without doing a ski tour.
Urrgh - I'd better check the Mayrhofen webcams to see if we need to pack our walking boots & sun-hats for our 8th March week...
You will be ok for Piste skiing in Mayrhofen. It‘s further west and higher up than the mountains within 2 hrs drive of Vienna.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
@Dylan_T42, don't expect to see any snow in the valley
But you'll be fine up on the pistes, pack your sun cream.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Snowspace Flachau. It has rained and snowed here for the last 48 hrs. Fresh above 1100m, pretty green below. Going to be warm next week so ski from first lifts to Mittag and then put your feet up. Pistes should hold up until Mid-March but it will be touch and go after that.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
From my own ski trips not surprised to see snowfall numbers low this season. Though my skiing during Dec, Jan, Feb has been fine, piste holding up very well and some powder to be had off piste but with a lower base than normal. Cooler weather and precip in forecast from around 10th March so fingers crossed for some late season snowfall. Had my best powder day last season in early April.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
swskier wrote:
@Dylan_T42, don't expect to see any snow in the valley
But you'll be fine up on the pistes, pack your sun cream.
Are you trying to frighten him !!? That’s at valley level.
Still minus temps overnight so the pistes should hold up well.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@DB, just doing my best to keep the pistes quiet for myself
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Currently travelling along a rather green & dry Inn valley, snowline well up the mountainsides even on north facing slopes. Big change from a few weeks back when there was snow down to the valley. My experiences have been the same as @waynos, decent pistes all season but off piste not so much. Felt warm in the sun in Innsbruck
Interesting seeing the snow / temo data on the timeseries. Worrying though!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
TL;DR: Still going skiing, thanks for all the info - sunglasses & suncream definitely going in the backpack
DB wrote:
Still minus temps overnight so the pistes should hold up well.
Thanks for the info, will keep an eye on the BergFex site and see how reliable to forecast is against the out-turn over the next week.
RedandWhiteFlachau wrote:
Going to be warm next week so ski from first lifts to Mittag and then put your feet up. Pistes should hold up until Mid-March but it will be touch and go after that.
Relying on exactly that & why we've skipping the EoS Bash in VT this year. While I'm happy to ski on sunny slush, Mrs.T42 is less keen, so I may have to spend my Nachmittags solo
munich_irish wrote:
Currently travelling along a rather green & dry Inn valley, snowline well up the mountainsides even on north facing slopes
I used to be in the habit of paddling Innsbruck white-water during the warmer months ....aka summer, some decades ago. Hoping the lack of winter snow & earlier melts don't spoil the fun for the current generation of students
swskier wrote:
@DB, just doing my best to keep the pistes quiet for myself
Don't worry @swskier - there's only the two of us on this occasion. But in any case, you can't frighten us that easily - we've raised two teenage daughters
Even been skiing with one of them, multiple times
Although TBF, the other has managed to muscle in on the fun remotely, also on multiple occasions...
But certainly hoping to be saved from 2025's global heating by multiple hundreds of metres of adiabatic lapse rate
Oh, and the webcams appear to indicate that the Austrian pistes are nearly as well kept as the Italian ones
kat.ryb wrote:
Interesting seeing the snow / temo data on the timeseries. Worrying though!
Indeed, it must getting concerning for any Alpine resort under about 1,800m for the rest of the 2020's and progressively higher thereafter.
A new temperature record for March was set today (March 6th) in Berndorf, Lower Austria, at 23.6 degrees - that's remarkable considering we are only at the beginning of the month.
The daily temperature trend is also remarkable: Klausen-Leopoldsdorf is in the all time top 10.
The difference between the daily minimum and maximum is an impressive 29.7 degrees - a frosty -6.7 °C in the morning, then a mild 23 °C in the afternoon.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
North Atlantic sea surface temperatures are at about their low point for the year. Still almost at record high levels though, which probably explains the mild winter the UK has had.
I know our balcony is a sun trap, but we had over 30 degrees recorded earlier in the week. Crazy.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
@jafa,
Same here in Ellmau, too hot for me on the balcony. Exactly the opposite of normal behaviour in Austrian hotels, I’ve been shutting the balcony door to keep the heat out.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Today was exactly as per the Bergfex forecast, but not the temps only just at or below freezing ...at 2,500m
https://www.bergfex.at/mayrhofen/wetter/berg/
So maybe still got a bit of snow to fall this week, but down in the valley at the end of the day, at the bottom of a rather slushy Ahorn black, the air was like a hair-dryer to the face!
How green is my valley!?
Got down one very soft piste...
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I am currently in St Anton, and I have never seen this little snow here before - Not even near season end. That said, they do a fair job at keeping the piste ski going.
I am currently in St Anton, and I have never seen this little snow here before - Not even near season end. That said, they do a fair job at keeping the piste ski going.
I am a "local" and second that. Also, I think the skiing is quite good given the circumstances. For the resorts, even small and low ones, this winter has been decent around here. Just not very many powder days. I still hope for a late dump or two, to arrange for a good spring ski touring base
No doubt it has been dry so far this year, seems a significant possibility of issues with droughts and forest fires later in the year. However from my visits to St Anton (last 10 days ago) the conditions, on piste anyway, have been good and pretty much all the runs have been open (including Wiesele in Zürs which is quite rare). There seems to have been more snow than in recent seasons when green slopes just above the village have been very much in evidence, though that might have changed with the warm sunny weather in the past week. I get the impression that (as ever) the Arlberg has done better than most other places. No wet weekends in St Anton (so far!).
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Raining now in Stanton, but it’s snowing above about 1600 meters.
After all it is free
After all it is free
@DanishRider, The forecast for the rest of the week in St Anton is damp, how much of that "damp" will fall as snow is questionable.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
@Origen,
He maketh the grass to grow upon the mountains - not good for skiing really.
But what do we expect when the mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like young sheep?
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
munich_irish wrote:
@DanishRider, The forecast for the rest of the week in St Anton is damp, how much of that "damp" will fall as snow is questionable.
I agree - It appears that you have to go above Galzig, to be sure that the snow sticks….
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
Are you trying to frighten him !!? That’s at valley level.
