Austria is the most famous and one of the most expensive tourist centers of our planet. This state is located in the heart of Europe in the zone of temperate continental climate, but there is one feature in it. Austria is invariably associated with snowy alpine peaks, emerald-green foothills of mountains, rivers and lakes. The natural landscape greatly affects the climate of Austria, it makes it diverse and unique. We learn about it in more detail.
Climate of Austria: briefly on the main thing
Austria is a country located in the central part of Europe. It belongs neither to the north, where it is constantly overcast and damp, nor to the south, where the sun fries almost all year round. This state is the most striking representative of the temperate zone, turning into the continental, and this applies to its entire territory. In many ways, the climate of Austria is comparable to the Moscow. It is quite warm, but at the same time moderate summer, cool autumn, windy spring and severe snowy winter. But there is a nuance that does not allow us to characterize the weather conditions of this country as a whole or in general. This, of course, is a zone of high zonation, in other words, mountains. This is what the main features of the climate of Austria are, and for what reason it can be considered zonally, studying each region separately. This is what we will do now.
Vienna: the flat capital
We begin our acquaintance with the climate of Austria from the capital of this state. Vienna is located in the north-east of the country, in a forest zone on a plain. This area is considered one of the warmest in Austria: the winters are mild and the summers are quite hot. The coldest month is January, but the temperature does not drop below zero even at night. In the afternoon in the winter it is always warm and at the same time damp - from +3 to +6. Spring and autumn in this region are identical. March and November are characterized by cool weather - from +8 to +12. April and October will be warmer - up to +18. In May and September, real summer flares up to +22. Vienna is very hot in the summer months - up to +28 in the shade.
Salzburg
This is one of the main ski centers in the country, which is located in a zone of low mountains. Many tourists coming here at different times of the year believe that Austria’s climate is exactly the same as in Salzburg, but in fact this zone is a transition from temperate latitudes to high-altitude zones. So, in winter, the city has a little frost - from 2 to 4 degrees below zero. In the afternoon, the bar can rise to the mark of +3. Spring and autumn are the same as in Vienna, identical. Here in the coldest months it is about +10, in the middle of the season the air warms up to +15, and closer to summer it gets very warm - +23. Separately, it is worth noting that in the winter in this region significant daily temperature fluctuations are observed. At night it can be 4 degrees below zero, and during the day it can be 4 degrees above zero.
Sölden
A small town in the province of Tyrol and a highly visited ski resort. Here are located the most fabulous mountain peaks, which are considered the main attractions, and they determine what the climate of Austria in this region will be. Winter here is characterized by sharp daily temperature fluctuations. At night, the thermometer drops to -10, and during the day rises to +1. A similar situation occurs in the spring. In March, the nights are still cold - up to 7 below zero, but during the day it is warm enough - +4. In April night frosts still occur, but the days get warmer - +8 - +10. In May, frosts recede, and the air warms up to +17 degrees. Sölden has a very cool summer - local thermometers will not show you the temperature more than +22, even in July. Summer nights are completely cold - indicators drop to +6. As for autumn, September is warm here - up to +18. But from October, the first night frosts already begin, which gradually turn into winter.
Innsbruck
This, one might say, is the pearl of Austria, and it is located at the foot of low mountains. The town is famous for its unique old buildings, cozy streets and parks, quiet alleys and masterpieces. As for its climatic features, the seasons are most pronounced here. Summer is characterized by special heat and very severe frosts - winter. In the cold season in Innsbruck, thermometers show from +3 to -7. There are no frosts throughout the spring and temperature indicators rise from +3 to +20 with slight fluctuations. Summer here is very warm (for Austria), the air warms up to +27 in the afternoon and up to +15 at night. Autumn heat decline begins in the second half of September, the thermometers show no more than +15. In November, it becomes very cool - +8 and lower.
Zell Am See
Another very large and visited snow resort of the country, which is famous for its steep slopes and snow-white landscapes. In winter, moderate frost is kept here - within -8 degrees, and the ski season lasts from November to March. That is, the last autumn and first spring months are also very frosty and are characterized by heavy rainfall. It really starts to warm only in May: during the day, the thermometer rises to +8, and at night - to no more than +3. Summer is also cold, but sunny. Daytime temperature is 12-14 degrees above zero, nighttime - from +5 to +8. September and October are very warm compared to May and April. In early autumn, the temperature is kept within +10 during the day and +4 at night, without frost.
Local precipitation
It is impossible to fully find out what the climate is in Austria and not to consider the precipitation map. Therefore, now we will briefly describe what kind of forecasts the inhabitants of this country hear daily. The amount of precipitation here is very diverse and varies from 500 to 3,000 millimeters per year. The mountain ranges of the Alps here serve as the main point of condensate collection, so they account for the maximum amount of rain. About 2,000 mm of precipitation falls annually in the northern and western regions of the country and dense fogs are constantly kept. In closed plains, this figure is much lower - from 600 to 1,000 mm. It is also worth noting that most of the rain and snow falls at heights of more than 2,000 meters, regardless of their position. As for Vienna, then the average annual rainfall is 620 mm.
Lakes
Having examined the climate of Austria for months and learning about the annual precipitation, it is worth mentioning another geographical feature of this country. A huge number of lakes are concentrated here, which, in fact, are also the basis of increased humidity, nebula and even dampness. But, oddly enough, in the summer months these ponds warm up very well. The water temperature in the lakes is up to +26 degrees, so they are more than suitable for a beach holiday.