Typical Winter Weather in Austria

Hallstadt town in Winter

Winters in Austria can get very cold indeed, no matter where you are. Exactly how bitingly cold it gets depends on where exactly in Austria you happen to be. The country has a largely temperate climate present in much of Central Europe. Eastern and southern parts of Austria including the Danube valley enjoy a mix of Mediterranean and Eastern European continental climate. 

Average winter temperatures range from 1 degree to 4 degrees, but can deviate from this depending on where you are. Night temperatures can go below minus 20 in some places. Alpine winters are of course, the harshest and coldest winters in Austria, and the Austrian Alps are said to be colder than the Swiss or French Alps. Winters can be sunnier in the Alps than in the Alpine valleys, which can be foggier and see more rainfall in winter than the higher terrain. 

The northern part of Austria has a continental climate, and winters are characterised with generally dry and cold weather. Winters in Salzburg can therefore be expected to be much dryer and certainly colder than summer months. Temperatures can remain below freezing to the north of Austria in winter. 

The low lying region to the south and south-east, flanked by the Alps to its north, enjoys the mildest weather characterised by Mediterranean weather patterns. Winters in Graz can therefore be expected to be milder, than say, Innsbruck which is not only higher in altitude but much more to the West. The Danube valley to the east enjoys less harsh winters. That is not to say that winter months in Vienna will not be chilly, as they are very likely to be so, but the weather is milder when compared to the highlands and northern part of Austria. 

Winters in Austria tend to be cold, and temperatures linger around freezing in general.  But the intensity of the cold weather can vary depending on where you are and how high above sea level you happen to be.