climate

January 2025: mild and too dry in many regions

One of the 25 warmest Januarys in recorded history

January brought more mild than cold weather in Austria. “In the preliminary monthly balance, January 2025 in Austria's lowlands was 1.5 degrees above the average for the 1991 to 2020 climate period, while in the mountains it was 1.6 degrees milder than the average,” says Alexander Orlik, climatologist at GeoSphere Austria, ”which puts Austria's lowlands in 22nd place in the series of the warmest Januarys in the 258-year measurement history and the mountains in 23rd place in the 175-year mountain measurement series.”

Compared to the 1961-1990 climate period, January 2025 was 3.0 degrees above average in the lowlands and 2.9 degrees above average in the mountains.

Above-average precipitation, partly in the west and south

Across the entire area of Austria, the amount of precipitation in January 2025 was 23 percent below the long-term average. The last drier January was in 2022 (-34 percent).

The regional analysis shows that regions from northern Burgenland, Vienna, Lower Austria, Upper Austria and northern Upper Styria to the majority of Salzburg were around 25 to 75 percent too dry. In some places, it was 90 percent less, such as in parts of the Weinviertel and in the Rax-Schneeberg region. There was around 20 to 120 percent more precipitation than the long-term average, particularly in East Tyrol, Upper Carinthia and Lungau, as well as in some places along the main ridge of the Tyrolean Alps and in the Rhine Valley. There was 180 percent more precipitation than average in the Karawanken region.

Relatively little snow

There was little snow at low altitudes in Austria this January. For example, there was only one day with snow cover at the Vienna Hohe Warte weather station in January 2025; in an average January of the 1991 to 2020 climate period, there were 10 days with snow cover. In Innsbruck, this January brought six days with snow cover (average 18) and in Bregenz five (average 11). In Klagenfurt, there was one day with snow cover in January 2025, compared to the long-term average of 17.

At altitudes above about 1000 meters above sea level, there was mostly a continuous snow cover this January. However, the amount of fresh snow here was 10 to 70 percent below the long-term average in most regions.

Partly sunny, partly cloudy

The frequent high-pressure weather conditions with sunshine in the mountains and fog in the lowlands resulted in large differences in the number of hours of sunshine. In most of the mountains, for example, there were 10 to 30 more hours of sunshine than in an average January, and in some places 40 to 50 percent more. In contrast, there were around 30 to 50 percent fewer hours of sunshine than the long-term average, particularly in the lowlands of Lower Austria, Vienna, Burgenland, Upper Austria in some places and southern Styria.