Storms trigger hundreds of emergency callouts across Austria
Saturday 22nd August 2026 on 12:45 in
Austria
Severe storms prompted around 220 emergency callouts in Upper Austria on Friday evening, with about 2,500 firefighters deployed, ORF reported. Emergency services were also called out in Salzburg, Styria and Burgenland.
The districts of Braunau, Grieskirchen, Ried and Schärding in Upper Austria were particularly affected. Firefighters from 130 stations responded to storm damage, including fallen trees, and flooding in buildings, streets and basements.
Many callouts were recorded in the municipality of Neumarkt-Kallham, where basements were flooded. Fifteen had to be pumped out. Daniel Pauzenberger, commander of the Kallham volunteer fire brigade, told ORF Upper Austria that more than 41 litres of rain fell over the town centre within 15 minutes.
The drainage system could no longer cope with the volume of water, Pauzenberger said. In some places, streets and access roads to homes were like “one continuous river”.
In Salzburg, the storm front caused several emergencies on lakes. A sailing boat capsized near Marieninsel on Lake Wallersee, while several surfers got into difficulty on Lake Wolfgang. The surfers managed to reach the shore on their own, according to the water rescue service.
Floating objects were also reported on Lake Wolfgang, prompting a search by the water rescue service. No one was found to be in distress. Firefighters were also called out to deal with fallen trees. No major damage or injuries had been reported.
A brief but intense thunderstorm front hit parts of southeastern Styria and southern Burgenland. Nearly 40 emergency locations were recorded around Feldbach and Radkersburg. Across Styria, 63 fire brigades and several hundred emergency workers responded to 67 storm-related incidents.
In Burgenland, more than 100 firefighters remained on duty until after midnight. They dealt with uprooted and fallen trees as well as blocked roads. Strong gusts also damaged several buildings, and sections of roofs were torn off in both Styria and Burgenland.