Snow is lying on the ground for shorter and shorter periods, especially at lower altitudes. The snow season (more precisely: the number of days with snow cover) has already been getting shorter in the past, and the average snow depth has declined significantly (Fig. 1). The main cause is rising temperatures (roughly +2 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years in alpine regions during winter).

This trend will continue over the coming two to three decades — regardless of which future scenario you look at. Compared to the reference period, Austria will see at least one degree Celsius of further warming by 2050, which will lead to an additional shortening of the snow season by around three weeks. Austria will continue to experience extreme winters in the future — both very snow-rich and unusually snow-poor winters.

All details and information about the ACRP project FuSE-AT (Future Snow Cover Evolution in Austria) by ZAMG and the University of Innsbruck can be found in the Fact Sheet and on the website fuse-at.ccca.ac.at