Austria is grappling with widespread flooding after heavy rains battered the Alpine regions and parts of Vienna over the weekend, causing extensive damage and major disruptions to transportation across the country.
The downpours led to chaos in the capital city, where a woman was swept under a bus by floodwaters in the Doebling district on Saturday. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, according to ORF, Austria’s national broadcaster.
Vienna’s fire services were overwhelmed with over 450 emergency calls as the torrential rain submerged streets, disrupted rail services, and brought traffic to a standstill. In some areas of the city, the rainfall reached a staggering 110 liters per square meter, setting a new record for August rainfall, said ORF Vienna meteorologist Kevin Hebenstreit.
The impact was felt across the country, with Chancellor Karl Nehammer acknowledging the extensive damage caused by the storms. “Heavy storms have done great damage in many parts of Austria,” Nehammer stated on X (formerly Twitter), expressing gratitude to the officials working tirelessly to address the aftermath.
Meteorological data from UBIMET revealed that a significant portion of Vienna’s average summer rainfall fell within just one hour on Saturday. While August typically sees around 68 liters of rain per square meter, Saturday’s downpour approached the historic record of 139 liters recorded on May 15, 1885.
As authorities continue to assess the damage, efforts are underway to restore normalcy in the flood-hit regions.