Chaos in the Alps due to the storm: roads closed, trees blown down, ski areas closed | News

Winter sports nations will be hit by Storm Zoltan on Friday and Saturday. This affects Austria, Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, and others. Wind speed is expected to reach between 100 to 150 kilometers per hour. In addition, up to a meter of snow is expected.

In Austria, stormy weather led to great chaos on Friday. Wind gusts of up to 90 km/h were measured in the valleys, and up to 160 km/h in the mountains. Fallen trees that fell on power lines left thousands of families without power for hours. This was the case in the Stubai Valley, near Kitzbühel and Achensee.

Due to fallen trees, slippery conditions and the risk of avalanches and landslides, many roads in Tyrol are also closed. The villages near Boden and Pschlabs were completely inaccessible. Roads were also closed in the Stubai Valley and the area around St. Anton am Arlberg, both popular ski areas.

In Lower Austria, in the Tolln region, one person was killed by a falling tree. It was about a hunter who, despite the storm, ventured into the forest to hunt wild boars.

Air traffic was disrupted at Innsbruck Airport. Some planes failed to land and had to be diverted. Many flights had to be cancelled.

In the Sivrita square, with Eshel and Semnon, and in the Stubai Valley, ski slopes remained closed on Friday morning. In many other places, only a limited number of elevators are open or their operating hours have been changed. This was the case in Zell am See-Kaprun, Zillertal, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, and others. Throughout Austria, the avalanche danger above the tree line is 4 on a scale of 5.

Winds also blew strongly in the Southern Alps on Friday. In the French Gap area, among other places, several trees were blown down by wind gusts reaching speeds of about 120 km/h.

In South Tyrol, Italy, a wind speed of 181 km/h was measured at the meteorological station in Val Venosta, at an altitude of about 3,000 metres, a record since the meteorological station began operating in 2000.

According to the website “Sneeuwhoogte.nl”, a lot of snow will fall on the Austrian Alps on Friday night at an altitude of between 800 and 1,000 metres. Snow may reach half a meter. In the French and Italian Alps, there is still a chance of an additional ten centimeters of snow falling.

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