Climate Change in Austria: Precipitation and Dry Spells over the last 60 years

Abstract

This study unveils localised changes in Austria's precipitation patterns, often missed by broader assessments, by comparing the 1961-1990 and 1991-2020 climate normal periods on a high resolution 2x2 km grid. Our extended model explicitly accounts for diverse topographical influences, including slope, aspect, and a monthly-varying elevation effect, when analysing monthly normals of mean precipitation and maximum daily sums, as well as maximum dry spell lengths. We found that while mean precipitation generally declined early in the year, it notably increased in March, September, and October (up to +50%). In contrast, the maximum duration of dry spells extended significantly in January, February, and June, particularly in the southern regions (up to +30%). Maximum daily precipitation amounts surged in late summer and autumn (up to +30%). This research offers a transferable modelling approach for understanding critical shifts, vital for climate adaptation both within Austria and globally.