Record snowfall paralyzes much of Austria -

[Matt-hurricanewatcher]

Record snowfall paralyzes much of Austria - 12 Nov 07 - Record snowfall of up
to one-and-a-half meters paralyzed much of central and western Austria over the weekend.
Even Vienna and Burgenland received several centimetres of snow on Sunday morning,
although most of it melted during the day. Ski resorts Lech and Zurs in Vorarlberg were
isolated for several hours, with highways leading to the towns closed because of heavy
snowfall. The last time that happened in November was in 1974. The danger of avalanches
remains high above 1,800 meters.

The Austrian weather bureau has said that such heavy snowfall in November occurs only
once every 30-to-50 years. At the same time, a wind storm caused by a low-pressure
system wreaked havoc in parts of Upper and Lower Austria Sunday. The outlook is for
more snow throughout the week at higher elevations.
http://www.austria-today.at/cgi-bin/at_art.pl?id=59530


Record early onset of winter in Austria – Five feet of snow in two days
12 Nov 07 - Langem am Arlberg had 112cm (44inches) of snow over 48hrs with
wind gusts over 100mph (160km/h). The Tirol area of Austria received 40cm
(15.75 inches) of new snow while Salzburg had up to 70cm (28inches). Some
places reported as much as 150cm (59inches).

The onset of severe weather prompted the closure of many roads, including access
to the elite ski resorts of Lech and Zurs in Arlberg. The previous time that Lech was
cut off so early in the winter was 1974.

Meteorologists described the weather as being the kind of conditions only
experienced in the Alps every 30 to 50 years. The winter weather is expected to
last for the rest of the week.
See entire article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/world/news ... news.shtml