WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria set a new July temperature record on July 31 as extreme heat spread across eastern regions. A weather station in Wieselburg, Lower Austria, measured 40.3 degrees Celsius. That reading surpassed the previous July high of 39.7 degrees, recorded in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria confirmed the monthly record. The temperature remained below the national all-time high of 40.5 degrees, set in August 2013.
The most recent record followed an exceptionally hot June experienced throughout much of Austria. Out of 277 weather stations under monitoring, 157 recorded new maximum temperatures for June, while an additional 66 stations documented their highest temperature for any month. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg hit 40.1 degrees one day later, with many lower-altitude regions enduring between 10 and 14 days consecutively with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
Experts at the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimated that the combined June and late July heatwaves resulted in approximately €1.4 billion in socioeconomic damages. This estimate encompasses health impacts, decreased labor productivity, agricultural losses, infrastructure strain, and increased cooling energy demand, in addition to the pressure placed on ecosystems and public services. It is important to note that this figure does not represent an official government damage assessment and differs from insured-loss data, which solely reflect claims covered by insurance policies.
Heat intensity surpasses previous national record
The research team evaluated both heatwaves using area-degree days, a metric combining temperature, duration, and geographical extent, revealing that the June event accumulated about 16,700 area-degree days, while the late July episode was estimated between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was set during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which measured roughly 22,100 area-degree days across land areas below 1,500 meters in elevation.
This early summer’s extreme heat coincided with a significant increase in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated that 395 deaths during June 2026 could be linked to heat, marking the highest June figure recorded since the agency began tracking such data. Heat-related mortality reflects deaths exceeding expected levels during periods of extreme temperature, but it does not require heat to be the sole medical cause listed on death certificates.
Severe drought conditions exacerbate challenges across Austria
Following months of unusually low rainfall, Austria entered the heatwave with significantly depleted water reserves. From January 1 through July 27, total nationwide precipitation reached approximately 426 millimeters, compared to the average of 609 millimeters for that period, indicating a deficit of nearly 30%. Authorities have characterized the first seven months of 2026 as the driest since at least the early 20th century, with regions such as Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland experiencing some of the most severe rainfall shortages.
Intense high-pressure systems, prolonged periods of strong sunshine, and limited rainfall led to heightened evaporation during late May, June, and July. These conditions decreased soil moisture levels, stressed crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies, and have been linked to an observed increase in the frequency and duration of heatwaves in Austria over recent decades. Peak temperatures during these events have risen by approximately three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s, with the latest July record marking another milestone in Austria’s ongoing pattern of intensifying extreme heat episodes.