Chronicle
The onset of winter causes problems in the southwest of Styria. The feared chaos largely failed to take effect on the streets, but numerous fire departments were deployed to rescue vehicles and remove broken trees. More than 1,000 houses are without electricity.
Firefighters were mainly involved in rescuing vehicles, but no major accidents were reported. On the Sulmtalstrasse (B74) between Heimschuh and Großklein, a falling tree hit a moving truck due to the weight of the snow – the vehicle was thrown into a ditch and the Slovenian driver was slightly injured. The B74 is currently closed to all traffic due to the risk of falling trees.
Currently, 3,000 households are without electricity
Things were quiet in the pack with about 30 centimeters of snow. But trees that cannot withstand heavy snow affect power supply.
In the areas around Leibnitz and Eibiswald, Energy Styria is being called to deal with power cuts, says Urs Harnik from the state energy provider – at one point 3,000 households were without power, and currently 1,000 more. “Our fitters have been at work since early morning, and colleagues from Eastern Styria are also helping in the affected areas. We hope that most of the damage will be repaired by the afternoon – at least temporarily.
Fire brigades were also deployed several times in southern Styria on Tuesday night. The main trigger was trees snapping under the weight of the snow, causing power outages. Many cars came on the slippery road and cars also got stuck between trees.
An Italian depression brought winter to southwestern Styria on Monday evening: the snow line fell to 300 meters above sea level in the districts of Leibnitz and Deutschlandsberg. Wine-growing regions as far as Leutzach and Ebiswald were also affected. Snow load on deciduous trees caused ice breakup.
