Oberes Stubachtal - Austria, Snow cover

In Austria, there are approximately 270 semi-automatic weather stations called TAWES, which are classified as SYNOP stations. These stations not only collect automatic measurements but also record additional observations by supervisors at around 65 locations during specific synoptic dates. The data recorded follows the criteria set by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The observations are transmitted daily to the central office in Vienna or to the relevant regional office using the SYNOP key.

Furthermore, about three quarters of the locations are also monitored by observers who send monthly written climatological records in the form of climate sheets to the central institute or the regional office. These records include information about the current weather conditions and progression, which cannot be accurately recorded by the automatic sensors. Examples of such information are the type and lower limit of cloud cover, visibility, and type of precipitation. Overall, this combination of automatic and manual weather data collection helps provide a comprehensive understanding of the weather conditions in Austria.