The largest lake is Neusiedler Lake, south of Vienna. The climate of Austria is not uniform throughout its whole territory. The western mountainous region receives considerable moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and thus tends to have higher rainfall and snowfall totals than the east. The difference between summer and winter temperatures is greater in the east than in the west. The interior valleys and the eastern lowlands have the warmest summer temperatures.
Alpine weather is affected by winds.
The most important is the foehn, a warm, dry wind that occurs on the leeward slopes of the mountain ranges. The original vegetation of the Austrian Alps consisted of deciduous trees, such as beech, birch, and oak, on the lower slopes, and coniferous trees, such as spruce, pine, fir, and larch, on the upper slopes. Much of the forest on the lower slopes and on the lowlands has been removed to allow crop farming. In the high parts of the Alps chamois and a few ibex are found. Above the timberline grow numerous species of berries and flowers, including the rare edelweiss.