Climate Change Chart of Lech Zürs, Austria

Overview of climate changes

Changes in snowfall

The unweighted mean of monthly mean daily snowfall amounts, averaged across calendar months, shows a difference of +4.43 mm/day compared with the earlier reference period. This aggregate does not describe every month individually, and the values concern mean daily amounts rather than monthly snowfall totals. The largest monthly increase was in January, with a difference of +15.36 mm/day. The largest monthly decrease occurred in June, at a difference of -3.47 mm/day. These opposing monthly differences help show why the overall mean should not be taken to represent a uniform change throughout the year.

Temperature changes

Averaged across calendar months, monthly mean temperature shows a difference of +2.50 °C compared with the earlier reference period. This unweighted mean summarizes monthly averages; it does not mean that every month changed by the same amount or describe daytime maximum temperatures. The largest monthly increase was in December, with a difference of +5.61 °C. This marks the strongest monthly increase in the supplied temperature differences, rather than a general measure of daytime warmth.

Changes in sunshine duration

Mean daily sunshine duration, averaged across calendar months, had a difference of -0.32 hours/day compared with the earlier reference period. Because this is an unweighted mean of monthly averages, it does not imply the same change in each month. The largest monthly decrease was in May, with a difference of -0.97 hours/day; in June, the largest monthly increase was a difference of +0.41 hours/day. These monthly contrasts describe average daily sunshine duration, not total sunshine over a month.

Changes in rainfall

Mean daily rainfall averaged across calendar months shows a difference of +0.01 mm/day compared with the earlier reference period. This unweighted summary of monthly means is not a day-weighted annual average, and it should not be read as a change in every month. The largest monthly increase occurred in October, at a difference of +0.99 mm/day. By contrast, July had the largest monthly decrease, with a difference of -0.89 mm/day. These are differences in mean daily amounts, not monthly rainfall totals.