Less sunshine than in 30 years? A fact check of winter 2025/26.

The following was recently reported in the media – including on the radio: There hasn't been this little sunshine in about 30 years.
But is that really true? A look at the official measurement data shows: This statement is well-documented, at least for parts of Austria – especially in the east.

🌥️ An exceptionally gloomy winter

The climatological analyses come from GeoSphere Austria, the state weather and climate institute (formerly ZAMG). There, sunshine data from all measuring stations is documented over the long term and compared with the climate average.

The analysis shows:

• Especially in Eastern Austria The duration of sunshine was significantly below average.
• In some regions it was actually the Winters with the least sunshine since the mid-1990s.
• In the mountains, however, there were sometimes normal or even above-average sunshine durations above the fog line.

This means that the winter wasn't extremely bleak everywhere in Austria – but For lowland areas and cities like Vienna, it was exceptionally dark..

🔗 Climate data & reports:
GeoSphere Austria – climate monitoring
https://klimaportal.geosphere.at/klimamonitoring

🌫️ Why was it so grey?

The cause lay less in frequent storms or rainfall, but primarily in stable high-pressure systems with high fog.

This weather pattern causes a dense layer of fog or high fog to persist in basins and valleys – sometimes for weeks. While it is sunny on the mountains, it remains consistently overcast below.

Such situations occur repeatedly – but they were last this frequent and prolonged in the 1990s.

🧭 Conclusion

The statement that "there hasn't been this little sunshine in winter for 30 years" is For Vienna and parts of the east, the situation is well covered by measurement data..

Not all of Austria was affected equally – but for many people in the lowlands, this winter felt exceptionally grey.

And perhaps that also explains why many people are especially looking forward to the first sunny spring days this year ☀️

^{(Featured image © Freepik.com)}