Carinthia drought set to continue as rain remains scarce

The drought in Carinthia is expected to continue, with no widespread rainfall forecast over the next seven days, ORF reported. Groundwater levels across the Austrian province remain 73 per cent below normal.

A cold front crossing Carinthia may ease the dry conditions only locally. Meteorologist Gerhard Hohenwarter of Geosphere Austria said around 10 litres of rain per square metre could fall in the Klagenfurt Basin, while the Carnic Alps and Karawanks could receive up to 50 litres by the weekend. Most of Carinthia is expected to receive between five and 20 litres per square metre.

Rainfall over the past 12 months has been about one-third below the long-term average across the province. Extreme heat has worsened the situation. August has so far been around five degrees warmer than average, causing 30 to 35 per cent more water to evaporate during the first half of the month, while rainfall amounted to only about 25 to 30 per cent of the usual level.

Rivers and streams are carrying much less water, and readings at Carinthia’s 250 groundwater measuring stations are at low or very low levels. The risk of forest fires remains high.

Showers and thunderstorms have provided little relief. Elisabeth Gutschi, a hydrologist with the Carinthian government, said some water levels had risen slightly after rainfall, but several rivers had fallen sharply during the preceding dry months and heat. Some groundwater bodies could take between six and nine months to recover, she said.

Long-range forecasts suggest more rainfall south of the Alps in autumn, potentially easing the most severe drought. Hohenwarter said Mediterranean low-pressure systems were expected to develop during the season, and the unusually warm Mediterranean could provide energy for rainfall. However, current seasonal forecasts indicate that these systems may track farther south, which would limit the amount of exceptionally heavy rain reaching Carinthia.