Heavy snow knocks out power to thousands of Austrian households

Repair crews in southern Austria were working to restore power to thousands of households Tuesday morning, after a winter storm dumped about half a meter (1.6 feet) of snow on parts of the country.

Some 40,000 households spent the night without electricity in southern Carinthia, the Austria Press Agency reported. Car and train traffic there had to be temporarily deviated or stopped overnight after fallen trees blocked on some tracks and highways. In Styria, some 2,500 households were also temporarily without power.

About half a meter (1.6 feet) of fresh snow was also recorded in Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg, causing authorities to raise avalanche risk levels, reports AP.

The heavy snowfall comes after springlike conditions last week and a relatively mild winter across the Alpine region. Weather experts now predict good skiing conditions for the upcoming Easter vacation period.