Climate

Due to its natural phenomena, Styria is a land of climatic contrasts. The Central Alpine mountain chain is a weather divide: the rough Alpine climate faces the moderate Mediterranean climate in the southern parts of Styria. Generally, the Alpine climate is characterized by high precipitations and short, fresh summers. Only in the inner Alpine valleys, which are protected by high mountain chains, there is less precipitation. In autumn and winter the mountain and peak areas enjoy much more sun and clear air (excellent visibility) than the valleys and basins, where the fog often stuck for several days. Some basins and closed valleys present another phenomenon, the so called "inversion of temperature": In the mountains the temperatures are higher than in the valley (normally the temperature falls 1°C per 200 m altitude). In the basins the cold air accumulates because it is too heavy to rise, and it still becomes colder. Above the cold mass, that often reaches up to 1,000 m, the sun is warming up the air.