Heavy snowfall and gusty winds have caused transport paralysis in Austria, southern Germany, and Slovenia. Vienna's main airport temporarily suspended operations, canceling over 150 flights. In Styria and northeastern Slovenia, tens of thousands of consumers lost access to electricity. Numerous road accidents occurred, including tragic events in Bavaria and a dangerous collision with a snowplow in Tyrol.
Paralysis of Vienna Airport
Over 150 flights were canceled at Vienna-Schwechat Airport, grounding approximately 13,000 travelers due to a 20-centimeter layer of snow on the runways.
Massive Power Outages
In Styria and Slovenia, a total of over 64,000 homes were cut off from electricity after network failures caused by snowstorms and falling trees.
Tragic Accidents in the Region
Fatalities were reported in Bavaria and Slovenia. In Austria, an accident involving a snowplow occurred, where a car fell 30 meters into a ravine.
Critical Road Conditions
The OAMTC deemed roads in Styria practically inaccessible to private traffic. Dozens of collisions were reported caused by icing and the lack of snow chains.
A sudden winter assault that hit Central Europe on Friday, February 20, caused extensive damage and paralyzed strategic infrastructure. The most difficult situation is in Austria, where heavy snowfall – reaching 20 centimeters in one night – forced the temporary closure of Vienna-Schwechat Airport. This decision affected approximately 13,000 passengers, and the national carrier Austrian Airlines had to cancel nearly 100 flights. Although air traffic resumed around 12:00, delays persisted until the end of the day. An equally critical situation occurred in the energy sector. In Styria, more than 30,000 households were without power due to transformer station failures. Similar problems affected Slovenia, where as many as 34,000 consumers remained in the dark. Chaos reigned on the roads of both countries; the OAMTC reported that many routes became impassable for private cars. The Alpine regions of Austria and Bavaria regularly experience extreme snowfall, but its intensity in a short time often exceeds the operational capabilities of local services, reminiscent of historical snow blockades from the turn of the century. In Tyrol, a chilling accident occurred when a 52-year-old driver from Munich, ignoring the requirement to have snow chains, collided with a snowplow and fell into a 30-meter abyss. Meanwhile, in Bavaria's Ostallgäu, a 21-year-old woman died after her vehicle hit a tree on a slippery surface. Services warn of trees breaking under the weight of snow, which in Bavaria alone led to 75 interventions within a few hours. „Rund 13.000 Passagiere seien davon betroffen gewesen.” (Disruptions affected approximately 13,000 passengers.) — Spokesperson for Austrian Airlines The meteorological situation also affected southern Germany. Munich Airport reported numerous delays, and near Nuremberg, an S-Bahn train hit a tree that had fallen onto the tracks. Forecasters predict that despite the slow easing of precipitation, low temperatures will maintain difficult road conditions throughout the weekend, coinciding with returns from winter holidays in Bavaria.