Austria is a
small, predominantly mountainous country in Central Europe, approx. between
Germany, Italy and Hungary. It has a total area of 83,859 km², about twice the
size of Switzerland and slightly smaller than the state of Maine.
The Alps
serve as a watershed for Europe's three major kinds of weather systems that
influence Austrian weather. The Atlantic maritime climate from the northwest is
characterized by low pressure fronts, mild air from the Gulf Stream, and
precipitation. It has the greatest influence on the northern slopes of the
Alps, the Northern Alpine Foreland, and the Danube valley. The continental
climate is characterized by low pressure fronts with precipitation in summer
and high pressure systems with cold and dry air in winter. It affects mainly
eastern Austria. Mediterranean high-pressure systems from the south are
characterized by few clouds and warm air, and they influence the weather of the
southern slopes of the Alps and that of the Southeastern Alpine Foreland,
making them the most temperate part of Austria.
One
peculiarity of the Mediterranean weather systems is the föhn wind, a warm air
mass that originates in the African Sahara and moves north rapidly,
periodically raising temperatures up to 10 °C (18 °F) in a short period of
time. Many people respond to this rapid weather change with headaches, irritability,
and circulatory problems. During the winter, the rapid warming that accompanies
a föhn can thaw the snow cover in the Alps to such an extent that avalanches
occur.
Given the
importance of Alpine skiing for the Austrian tourist industry, December is the
month during which the weather is watched with the greatest anticipation. As a
rule, Atlantic maritime weather systems bring snow, and continental weather
systems help keep it. However, a predominance of cold, dry continental systems
or warm Mediterranean ones inevitably postpone the beginning of the ski season.
In the summer, Mediterranean high-pressure systems bring warm, sunny weather.