Vienna gets snow every year (at least it has since 1953), ranging from 2cm to over 2m of the stuff.
But will you wake on Christmas morning and gasp in delight as the snowflakes settle on Santa’s sleigh tracks?
Probably not.
I went through the last 24 years of official December data (1995 – 2019) for the main Vienna weather station. Here’s the deal:
- There was some snow on the ground on the 24th or 25th in eight years (1996, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2016)
- It snowed on Christmas Eve in 1996 and 2012
- It snowed on Christmas Day in 2007
If that sounds a little disappointing, remember that it might have snowed just before or just after. So you have a better chance of experiencing a white Christmas period than these numbers suggest.
Having said that, last year (2019) I didn’t see any snow in December. Records from the official weather station here show there were only two days (the 12th and 28th) when a few flakes fell in the city.
Console yourself with the thought that bright white snow quickly turns to brown slush in a city anyway. Although I will say that the Vienna woods, the city parks and the seasonal markets do look quite wonderful coated in fresh white. Bah humbug!
Of course, there is one promising option for those desperate to find snow – there’s a set of small hills nearby which have been known to attract the odd snowflake. You might have heard of the Alps. The closest mountains are just a day trip away by car or public transport.