Pro-government says early snow is disrupting Austria’s Alpine roads

Pro-government says early snow is disrupting Austria’s Alpine roads
On Saturday, October 24, heavy snowfall reached several of Austria’s mountain regions, with more than 15 centimeters recorded in some areas. The first disruption came in Tyrol’s Zillertal valley, where the Zillertaler Höhenstraße was initially closed between Melchboden and Hirschbichl Alm before authorities shut the entire scenic route until further notice.

The road is a popular destination for motorcyclists and mountain drivers, but winter conditions quickly made travel unsafe. Similar conditions were reported in Obertauern, while snow also fell in western Austria, including the Vorarlberg village of Schröcken. The snow line dropped to roughly 1,200 meters, according to weather services cited in the reports.

By 1:14 p.m., mandatory snow chains had been introduced on the Großglockner High Alpine Road between Fusch in Salzburg and Heiligenblut in Carinthia. The measure was expected to remain in effect until noon on Sunday, October 25.

Webcam images also showed snow covering the Villacher Alpenstraße and accumulating near the Aichingerhütte at an elevation of 1,650 meters. Although daytime temperatures were forecast to remain between 8 and 16 degrees Celsius, GeoSphere Austria predicted rain and snow as successive warm and cold fronts crossed the country.

The snow line was expected to rise temporarily toward 2,500 meters before falling again to between 1,200 and 1,600 meters in the evening. Forecasters warned drivers to expect continuing difficult conditions on Alpine roads, while southern and southeastern Austria were likely to remain comparatively dry.