
When older generations recount that it used to snow much more often in Vienna than today, it’s more than just a personal impression. In the 1950s, Vienna had an average of up to 50 days with a continuous snow cover, but by the 2000s, this number had dropped to 32. According to Geosphere Austria, this change is due to climate change.
Since the 1930s, the average winter temperature in Austria has risen by about 0.25 degrees per decade, leading to both a reduction in snow depth and the number of days with snow cover. “In Vienna, there is less and less snow—just like in general in Austria’s lower-lying regions, below around 1,500 meters above sea level. Due to the significant climate warming of recent decades, precipitation in these lower areas often falls as rain rather than snow, and any snow that does fall melts more quickly,” said climatologist Alexander Orlik from Geosphere Austria. Over the long term, it is expected that the number of snow-covered days will continue to decrease.
At the Geosphere Austria weather station on the Hohe Warte in Vienna, from 1931 to 1960, there were an average of 47 days with snow cover in a winter, from 1961 to 1990 there were 46 days, and from 1991 to 2020, only 32 days. “The highest number of snow-covered days on the Hohe Warte was 108 in the winter of 1939/40, and the fewest was just one day in the winter of 2019/20,” Orlik said.
Decreasing Snowfall Totals
Snowfall totals have also decreased. In the period from 1961 to 1990, the average snowfall per winter was 86 centimeters, but from 1991 to 2020, this number dropped to just 50 centimeters. “The largest snowfall amount recorded on the Hohe Warte was 222 centimeters in the winter of 1969/70, and the lowest was just two centimeters in the winters of 2013/14 and 2019/20,” the climatologist added.
In the coming years, further reductions in snow days are expected. The number of snow-covered days in Vienna could fall to fewer than ten per year, particularly in the lower parts of the city. Snow depths are also expected to decrease.