Austria is freezing as a record cold wave grips the country
Austria is experiencing a severe cold wave, with polar winds driving temperatures to double-digit negative numbers in the western regions. Morning temperatures have been extremely cold, marking the coldest phase of this winter so far.
In the village of Gogo, part of the municipality of Leibnitz (Frystadt region, Upper Austria), temperatures dropped to -25.7 degrees Celsius overnight. Schwarzau im Freiwald in Lower Austria recorded -24.3 degrees, while temperatures in Tannheim in Tyrol reached -22.4 degrees, according to weather reports.
Meteorologist Markus Wadsak from ORF described the current cold as normal for January in Austria, but noted that the severe frost has lessened compared to the past due to climate change. He said: "Even the severe frost we see today would have been colder historically."
Historical records register the lowest temperatures in Austria: In 1905, the temperature in Sonnblick (Salzburg/Carinthia) reached -37.4 degrees, while the Dürnstein recorded -36.6 degrees in 1929, and Vienna recorded -26.3 degrees on December 11, 1929.
Some locations, especially in exposed areas like Gronlough near Lunz am See in the Ybbstal mountains, face harsher conditions. On February 19, 1932, this site recorded an exceptional temperature of -52.6 degrees Celsius—the lowest officially measured temperature in Austria. The cold wave is expected to continue until Wednesday or Thursday, with Geosphere Austria issuing official warnings for the western regions.