Storm chaos in Vorarlberg: Festival tent collapses, trains stand still!
Storm chaos in Vorarlberg: Festival tent collapses, trains stand still!
In Vorarlberg, nature shows itself on this evening from its uncomfortable side. On June 15, 2025, around 5:45 p.m., a severe storm with heavy rain and gusts of wind, which came strongly in the region. The incident in Gaißau was particularly dramatic, where a marquee was recorded by a gust of wind and brought to collapse. Four people suffered minor injuries. The emergency services are now checking whether other people are buried under the ruins of the tent, such as reported.
The most affected communities include frastanz, Nenzing, Satteins, Fußach, Wolfurt and Rankweil, where fallen trees block the streets. In Bludenz, a fallen tree threatened to fall on several parked vehicles. The heavy rain has also flooded many cellars and a flooded section of the street was reported in Feldkirch. The situation in Sulz is particularly critical, where water is in an underpass, which also tightens the security situation.
interruptions in train traffic
train traffic in the region is also affected. The railway line between Rankweil and Götzis had to be closed to the overhead line due to a fallen tree. The service was expected to be stopped until 8 p.m. because the trains have to wait for the lock to be lifted. These ongoing traffic disruptions are another expression of the serious effects of the storm, which have been reported again and again since the early evening.
Such extreme weather events are not new, because in 2023 the damage caused by weather extremes in Austria fell to over one billion euros, such as Infothek Notice. Storms, hail and floods from heavy rain are the most common causes. Rémi Vrignaud, President of the Austrian Insurance Association, explains that such extreme weather events are part of the new normality, which forces authorities and the population to be better and better prepared for such events.
The weather conditions in western Austria
The storm is part of a wider weather situation that is haunted by the west of Austria on Friday evening. In the regions near Lake Constance there are floods due to long rains, which is why the fire brigade is in several communities. Constitious streets and flooded cellars, especially around Bregenz, are the result of the constant rain here too. So far, however, the police in Lindau have not reported any flooding on the German side, which could relax the situation there, while the traffic is stowing again, due to the road closures towards Vorarlberg, such as Wochenblatt reported.
The current events show how important preparations for such extreme weather situations are. Almost every municipality in Austria was affected by weather warnings in 2023, and it can be assumed that this trend will continue. The cooperation between various organizations and authorities will be decisive to master these challenges and to ensure the safety of the population.
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| Ort | Gaißau, Österreich |
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