Austria Climate
Austria is a landlocked country having continental and Atlantic temperate climatic influence. 30% of the country lies on plains whereas the rest of the places are elevated as the Alps cover most of the landmass of Austria. Temperature, snowfall, rain, humidity and wind speed largely depend on the elevations and the climatic zones.
The Eastern part of the country experiences mostly continental climate while the west sees Atlantic temperate climate. For every additional 300 meters of altitude, the temperature falls for 5 degrees. Summers are hot touching almost 30 degrees Celsius in some places although evenings are normally cool.
Considering its geography and topography we will look into three different places to get a comprehensive weather pattern of Austria… Vienna from the east, Innsbruck from the west, and Salzburg from the central zone (Graz from the south has almost identical climatic conditions as Salzburg).
Temperature
All three places experience hot summers and cold winters. Temperature varies from one place to the other but during winters all of them witness sub-zero temperatures with mild to moderate snowfall.
Vienna
Winter (December to February): Maximum day temperature hovers around 4 to 6 degrees whereas the difference between day and night temperature ranges up to 8 degrees. February sees a maximum day temperature of 6.1 degrees C while the minimum temperature in January dips to -4.1 degrees.
Spring (March to May): In Vienna, spring is comfortable, although May experiences summer-like temperatures. The difference between the maximum and minimum temperature is almost 10 degrees. March sees a maximum day temperature of 11.5 degrees while in May it reaches 21.3 degrees C.
Summer (June to August): Summers are quite hot in Vienna with maximum day temperature reaching up to 26.7 degrees in July. Night temperatures are more comfortable hovering between 15 to 17 degrees C.
Autumn (September to November): September is the warmest month of autumn while November is the coolest. September sees a maximum temperature of 21.1 degrees while November witnesses a 13 degrees drop in maximum temperature.
Salzburg
Winter (December to February): Salzburg winters are a little cooler than Vienna although the minimum temperatures are the same (-4.1), however it sustains in Salzburg for longer periods with a maximum day temperature in February of 5.6 degrees.
Spring (March to May): Salzburg sees a comfortable spring with a warmer May although the temperature difference between maximum and minimum is nearly 11 degrees. 10.4 degrees is the maximum day temperature of March while May touches almost 20 degrees.
Summer (June to August): Salzburg summers are hot too but a little milder than Vienna. Maximum day temperature hovers around 24 degrees in July and August. Night temperatures are comfortable and stay around 13 degrees.
Autumn (September to November): Like Vienna September is the warmest month in autumn at Salzburg and November is the coolest although temperatures are milder than in Vienna. September sees the maximum day temperature of 20.1 degrees while November experiences 7.8 degrees maximum.
Innsbruck
Winter (December to February): Innsbruck is the coolest among the three places with minimum temperatures in winter dipping to -5.2 degrees. Maximum day temperature reaches up to 6.3 in February.
Spring (March to May): Spring sees extreme changes in temperatures. The minimum temperature in March hovers around zero degrees while the maximum temperature during May touches 20 degrees. April sees moderate temperature difference between day and night (maximum 14.8 and minimum 3.4 degrees)
Summer (June to August): Innsbruck experiences an almost identical summer as Salzburg with maximum temperature hovering around 24 degrees during July and August. June is rather comfortable with a maximum day temperature of 22.6 and a minimum of 10.8 degrees.
Autumn (September to November): Temperatures in autumn are similar to spring in Innsbruck. The maximum day temperature during this period is 20.8 in September and the minimum night temperature is -0.5 degrees in November.
(See the weather charts)
Rainfall
Vienna receives minimum rainfall throughout the year while Salzburg experiences the maximum. Innsbruck sees mild to moderate rains. Rainfalls are heavier in summer, late spring and early autumn. Austria experiences minimum rainfall in winter.
Minimum rainfall in Vienna takes place in January (21.3 mm with an average of 5 rainy days). Minimum rainfall in Salzburg takes place in February (54.7 mm in around 9 rainy days). Innsbruck receives a minimum rainfall during February (41.4 mm) and a maximum in the month of July (137.2 mm). Maximum rainy days are around 14 in July and the minimum are 7 days in February. Maximum rainfall in Vienna is 66.6 mm in July with around 8 rainy days and maximum rainfall in Salzburg takes place in July (157.5 mm with around 15 rainy days). Spring to autumn in Salzburg experiences moderate to heavy rainfall. (See charts).
Humidity
Vienna and Innsbruck are slightly less humid than Salzburg. The yearly average humidity per month in Vienna is around 73% and slightly over 70% in Innsbruck. The monthly average relative humidity in Salzburg is around 76%. December sees the highest humidity of 82% in Vienna while the minimum humid months here are April and June (65%). As for Salzburg, the maximum humid month is December (84%) and the minimum is the month of April (70%). Like Vienna, the highest humid month in Innsbruck is December (80%) and the lowest in May (61%). (See the chart below).
Sunny Days
Overall Austria experiences moderate sunshine hours while Vienna experiences the maximum and Salzburg the minimum. Total sunshine hours that Vienna sees yearly are 1,938 hours with a monthly average of around 162 hours and a daily average of 5.3 hours. July is the sunniest month of the year with a monthly gross average of 263 sunny hours. December is the least sunny month in Vienna with 52 sunny hours resulting in about 1.7 sunshine hours per day.
Salzburg sees lesser sun than Vienna with a yearly total of 1,698 sunshine hours. The monthly average is 141.5 hours and the daily average is 4.7 sunny hours approximately. July sees the highest sunlight for about 221 hours whereas December sees the lowest for 63 hours with a daily average of 2 hours approximately.
Innsbruck witnesses a total of 1,872 sunshine hours in a year with a monthly average of 156 sunshine hours and a daily average of around 4.4 hours only. Like the other two cities, July in Innsbruck experiences maximum sunny time for 216 hours and December sees the lowest for 83 hours with a daily average of 2.7 sunshine hours approximately. (See weather chart).
Wind Speed
Vienna is windier than Salzburg and Innsbruck, and it experiences the highest windspeed of 11 KPH during winters, spring and early summers and the lowest wind speed of 7 KPH during autumn. Salzburg experiences a steady but mild wind speed of 4 to 5 KPH throughout the year. Innsbruck has a similar wind pattern as Salzburg. (See Chart).
Snowfall
Valleys and plains of Austria mostly see a snow cover for around four months from December to March (in November and April as well in some places). Places located at an elevation of 6,000 ft experience snow covers for six months. Locations above 7,500 ft are covered by snow for the entire year.
Vienna (with an average altitude of 1,000 ft) receives almost 27 inches of snow for 6 months (November to April) with the highest snowfall in the month of January (7.32 inches). Salzburg located at an altitude of around 1,400 ft receives a total snowfall of around 44 inches in six months (November to April) with the highest snowfall in January (9.45 inches).
The total numbers of snowy days in Salzburg are 53 whereas in Vienna it is 27 days. The elevation of Innsbruck is around 1,900 ft above sea level and it sees snow for seven months (October to April) with a total number of 65 snowy days. The total amount of snow it receives per year is around 45 inches with the highest snowfall in February (11.81 inches). (See chart).
Vienna
| Month | Max/Min Temp(°C) |
Rain mm/Days |
Snow Inch/Days |
Humidity % |
Wind KPH |
Sunny Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.8/-4.1 | 21.3/5.3 | 7.32/4.8 | 79 | 11 | 70 |
| February | 6.1/-2.2 | 29.3/6.0 | 6.14/5.2 | 76 | 11 | 102 |
| March | 11.5/1.5 | 39.1/8.1 | 3.27/3.2 | 70 | 11 | 143 |
| April | 16.1/6.8 | 39.2/6.3 | 0.59/1.8 | 65 | 11 | 198 |
| May | 21.3/11.5 | 60.9/8.3 | – | 67 | 11 | 239 |
| June | 24.0/15.1 | 63.3/9.3 | – | 65 | 11 | 238 |
| July | 26.7/17.4 | 66.6/8.2 | – | 67 | 11 | 263 |
| August | 26.6/17.5 | 66.5/8.5 | – | 69 | 7 | 252 |
| September | 21.1/13.6 | 50.4/6.9 | – | 75 | 7 | 182 |
| October | 15.3/7.8 | 32.8/6.0 | – | 79 | 7 | 132 |
| November | 8.1/2.8 | 43.9/7.5 | 3.11/4.9 | 81 | 11 | 67 |
| December | 4.6/-1.5 | 34.6/7.6 | 6.46/6.8 | 82 | 7 | 52 |
Salzburg Weather Chart
| Month | Max/Min Temp(°C) |
Rain mm/Days |
Snow Inch/Days |
Humid % |
Wind KPH |
Sunny Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.9/-4.1 | 59.9/10.1 | 9.45/15.4 | 80 | 5 | 67 |
| February | 5.6/-2.9 | 54.7/9.5 | 9.41/11.7 | 78 | 5 | 92 |
| March | 10.4/0.7 | 78.7/11.9 | 8.54/6.1 | 72 | 5 | 130 |
| April | 14.3/3.8 | 83.1/11.8 | 1.14/1.4 | 70 | 4 | 153 |
| May | 19.9/8.4 | 114.5/12.1 | – | 72 | 4 | 196 |
| June | 22.2/11.5 | 154.8/15.0 | – | 72 | 4 | 194 |
| July | 24.4/13.5 | 157.5/14.4 | – | 71 | 4 | 221 |
| August | 24.2/13.5 | 151.3/13.2 | – | 75 | 4 | 203 |
| September | 20.1/10.1 | 101.3/10.8 | – | 78 | 5 | 168 |
| October | 14.8/5.5 | 72.6/9.3 | – | 80 | 4 | 130 |
| November | 7.8/0.6 | 83.0/10.8 | 4.76/5.1 | 82 | 5 | 81 |
| December | 4.0/-2.5 | 72.8/11.8 | 10.94/13.1 | 84 | 5 | 63 |
Innsbruck Weather Chart
| Month | Max/Min Temp(°C) |
Rain mm/Days |
Snow Inch/Days |
Humid % |
Wind KPH |
Sunny Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 3.9/-5.2 | 43.9/7.4 | 10.08/20.3 | 78 | 5 | 95 |
| February | 6.3/-3.7 | 41.4/7.3 | 11.81/14.8 | 75 | 5 | 121 |
| March | 11.3/0.2 | 55.9/8.8 | 4.92/6.2 | 65 | 5 | 154 |
| April | 14.8/3.4 | 57.7/9.7 | 1.38/1.9 | 63 | 4 | 168 |
| May | 20.3/7.8 | 87.1/10.7 | – | 61 | 4 | 193 |
| June | 22.6/10.8 | 110.3/13.2 | – | 65 | 4 | 187 |
| July | 24.7/12.8 | 137.2/13.9 | – | 68 | 4 | 216 |
| August | 24.4/12.7 | 111.3/12.6 | – | 69 | 5 | 214 |
| September | 20.8/9.3 | 78.1/9.2 | – | 72 | 5 | 180 |
| October | 15.8/4.8 | 57.3/7.8 | 0.31/0.3 | 75 | 4 | 159 |
| November | 8.2/-0.5 | 63.2/9.0 | 4.72/5.1 | 78 | 4 | 102 |
| December | 3.7/-4.2 | 53.1/8.6 | 10.2/16.5 | 80 | 5 | 83 |
Best Time to Visit Austria
The land of Alps Austria with its rich tradition and history is a great place to visit and explore. The best time to visit Austria is late spring and early autumn that have moderate temperatures and mild to moderate rainfall. Summers are warmer here while some destinations might be really hot. Summers also receive maximum rainfall in this country.
Winters are very cold with moderate to heavy snowfalls. If you love adventure sports like skiing, early spring and late autumn are the best time to visit Austria. Another great time to visit Austria is during spring when the flowers bloom.
Travel Tips
Like most European countries, an umbrella or raincoat is a must for Austria too. Rain jackets along with woollens would be handy in any season. For higher altitudes, hooded jackets are recommended. Choose proper shoes especially for hiking and trekking. During summers, don’t expect every place to have an air conditioning system.
Climate highlights of Vienna
- Late spring and early autumn are the best time with pleasant average temperatures and light rainfall
- July is the warmest month
- January is the coolest month
- July is the dampest month
- January is the driest month
Climate highlights of Salzburg
- Late spring to early autumn is the best time although it’s warm during summer and rains quite heavily throughout these seasons. The rest of the year is very cold with moderate snowfall
- Summer receives maximum rainfall
- Keep yourself prepared to combat rain
- July is the wettest month
- February is the driest month
Climate highlights of Innsbruck
- Late spring to early autumn is the best time and although it’s warm during summer and rains moderately throughout these seasons. The rest of the year is very cold with frequent snowfall.
- Summer receives moderate rainfall.
- Be ready to combat rain during spring to autumn (winter receives lesser rain)
- February is the driest month
- July is the dampest month
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.