Due to its natural phenomena, Styria is a land of climatic contrasts. The
Central Alpine mountain chain is a weather divide: the rough Alpine climate
faces the moderate Mediterranean climate in the southern parts of Styria.
Generally, the Alpine climate is characterized by high precipitations and short,
fresh summers. Only in the inner Alpine valleys, which are protected by high
mountain chains, there is less precipitation.
In autumn and winter the mountain and peak areas enjoy much more sun and clear
air (excellent visibility) than the valleys and basins where the fog often
stucks for several days. Some basins and closed valleys (Ennstal and Murtal
valleys) present another phenomenon, the so called "inversion of temperature":
in the mountains the temperatures are higher than in the valley (normally the
temperature falls 1°C per 200 m altitude). In the basins the cold air
accumulates because it is too heavy to rise, and it still becomes colder. Above
the cold mass, that often reaches up to 1,000 m, the sun is warming up the air.
