WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria reached a new high temperature for July on July 31 amid intense heat spreading across eastern parts of the country. A weather station located in Wieselburg, Lower Austria, recorded 40.3 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous July record of 39.7 degrees set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria verified this monthly temperature record. The temperature stayed below the national all-time high of 40.5 degrees, which was recorded in August 2013.
This latest record follows an extremely hot June across much of Austria, with 157 out of 277 weather stations reporting new maximum June temperatures. An additional 66 stations also recorded their all-time highest temperature for any month. Vienna hit 40.0 degrees on June 28, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg reached 40.1 degrees one day later. Numerous lower-altitude regions endured 10 to 14 days of consecutive temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
The Wegener Center at the University of Graz estimates that the heatwaves in June and late July caused socioeconomic damages totaling approximately €1.4 billion. This figure accounts for health impacts, reduced workforce productivity, agricultural losses, infrastructure stress, increased cooling needs, ecosystem pressure, and strain on public services. It is not a final government damage assessment and excludes insured losses, which cover only claims paid by insurance policies.
Heat severity surpasses previous national record
Assessment by researchers used area-degree days, a metric combining temperature, duration, and geographical extent. The June heatwave registered around 16,700 area-degree days, while late July’s impact is estimated between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which measured approximately 22,100 area-degree days across land areas below 1,500 meters in elevation.
This early summer heat wave coincided with a significant rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety reports an estimated 395 deaths in June 2026, the highest June figure since the agency began tracking this data. Heat-related mortality indicates deaths exceeding expected levels during extreme temperature periods. It does not necessarily mean heat was the sole medical cause on death certificates.
Prolonged drought compounds challenges across Austria
The country faced the heatwave following months of below-average rainfall, with total nationwide precipitation from January 1 to July 27 reaching roughly 426 millimeters—about 30% below the 609-millimeter average for that period. Authorities state this was the driest first seven months since at least the early 20th century, with the most severe shortages in Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland.
Persistent high pressure, intense sunshine, and scarce rain increased evaporation through late May, June, and July, depleting soil moisture and stressing crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Climate records show that Austria’s heatwaves are becoming more frequent and longer-lasting, with average peak temperatures rising by approximately three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s. The recent July temperature record marks another milestone in Austria’s trend of escalating extreme heat events.