Dutch Prince Johan Friso Rescued from Austrian Avalanche
Dutch Prince Johan Friso was buried in the snow by an avalanche while skiing in the Austrian Alps Friday.
Update:
As of Sunday afternoon there has been no change in the condition of Dutch Prince Johan Friso. Friso remains in stable condition but still at risk in the intensive care department of a hospital in Innsbruck. There will no prognosis report before the end of the week, according to the latest reports.
The royal family had been on holiday in the Austrian Alps in the resort town of Lech when the avalanche occurred.
Prince Friso was buried in snow for 15 minutes and had to be resuscitated. He was transported to a hospital in Innsbruck and is reported to be stable condition but not out of danger. He is expected to be in hospital for several days before a full prognosis can be given.
Prince Friso was skiing when the avalanche struck at about 12 p.m. local time (6 a.m. EST). The avalanche was reported to be 30 meters (about 98 ft) wide by 40 meters (about 131 ft) long.
"Temperatures in the area have been 10 degrees below normal over the last week to 10 days," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno. "Warmer air is moving through, ahead of an approaching cold front."
The warmer air has raised temperatures in the area to near normal in the past day or two. Higher temperatures help to make the snow unstable and the risk of avalanches increase.
"Tomorrow the temperatures will be in the 40s," Rayno said. "It will be much colder on Saturday evening in the Alps and still colder Sunday into Monday."
More Weather News
-
What's Next for Beryl?
May 28, 2012; 12:25 PM ET
Beryl, with its drenching downpours and locally severe thunderstorms is expected to turn to the northeast, paralleling the Carolina coast during the middle of the week.
-
Memorial Day Storms Albany to Boston
May 28, 2012; 12:09 PM ET
Locally strong thunderstorms will roll across upstate New York and through part of New England into this evening.
-
"Mothership Cloud" Supercell Tornado In Texas
May 28, 2012; 12:07 PM ET
Storm chasers spotted the storm on May 21.
-
Photos: After-Effects of Tropical Storm Beryl
May 28, 2012; 12:00 PM ET
"Beryl, shmeryl..." No serious damage has been reported.
-
Severe Flooding in Northwestern Ontario
May 28, 2012; 10:49 AM ET
A state of emergency has been declared in the Thunder Bay area after severe flooding struck parts of Ontario's Lake Superior region.
-
Watching the Caribbean in the Wake of Beryl
May 28, 2012; 9:30 AM ET
The same general area of disturbed weather in the Caribbean that seeded Beryl, could attempt yet another tropical system this week.
-
Severe Storms to Slam Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield
May 28, 2012; 9:22 AM ET
Damaging thunderstorms will ignite from Chicago to St. Louis to Springfield later this afternoon and evening.
-
Memorial Day Weather for "Founding" Towns
May 28, 2012; 9:01 AM ET
Officially, Waterloo, N.Y., is the birthplace of Memorial Day, however, many towns in the U.S. claim the honor of being the first.
-
Atlantic Hurricane Forecast: Storms Close to the Coast
May 28, 2012; 7:32 AM ET
AccuWeather's 2012 Atlantic Hurricane Season forecasts 12 named tropical storms, five named hurricanes and two major hurricanes.
-
Beryl's Impacts on the Southeast
May 28, 2012; 5:25 AM ET
As Beryl moves into the Southeast, its impacts will be widespread. However, not all news will be bad.
Daily U.S. Extremes
past 24 hours
| Extreme | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| High | 100° | Smyrna, TN |
| Low | 15° | Sunset Crater, AZ |
| Precip | 3.99" | Wadena, MN |
WeatherWhys®
Hail is much more common during the months of May and June compared to July and August. The main reason is the fact that the freezing level is usually higher during July and August as pockets of cold air in the upper atmosphere are less common as the jet stream weakens and retreats farther north.
This Day In Weather History
Leesburg, Va. (1982)
In Leesburg, a suburb of Washington, D.C., 2.20 inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.
Leesburg, Fla. (1989)
A lightning bolt tore a 4-foot-wide hole in the ceiling of a residential dining room and struck a 9-year-old boy between the shoulder blades. Although injured, the boy survived.
Rough Weather
Comments
Comments left here should adhere to the AccuWeather.com Community Guidelines. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.