WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced its highest recorded temperature for July on July 31, with Wieselburg hitting 40.3 degrees Celsius. This surpasses the previous July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria verified this new monthly peak during a heatwave that affected the eastern regions of the country. The national record still stands at 40.5 degrees, measured at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
This July achievement followed a June characterized by widespread and persistent extreme heat. According to GeoSphere Austria, 157 of its 277 weather stations registered new maximum temperatures for June, with 66 stations reaching their highest temperature ever recorded for any month. On June 28, Vienna hit 40.0 degrees, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recorded 40.1 degrees the next day. Multiple low-lying areas endured 10 to 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
The Wegener Center at the University of Graz estimated economic and social damages totaling around €1.4 billion from the heatwaves in June and late July. This preliminary estimate accounts for health impacts, reduced productivity, agricultural damage, infrastructure stress, and increased cooling demand. It also considers effects on ecosystems and public services. However, this figure does not reflect an official government assessment or insured losses, as insurance data only captures claims under active policies.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous Austrian events
Researchers assessed the severity of these events using area-degree days, a metric that combines heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent. They calculated approximately 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. The late July episode is estimated to have reached between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s earlier record was during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which accumulated roughly 22,100 area-degree days below 1,500 meters altitude.
The extreme temperatures also coincided with a notable rise in deaths related to heat. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimates 395 such fatalities in June 2026, marking the highest June total since the agency began tracking this data. Heat-related mortality reflects deaths exceeding expected levels during unusually hot periods. It is important to note that these deaths are not necessarily directly attributed solely to heat on death certificates.
Prolonged dry conditions deepen Austria’s drought crisis
Following months of notably dry weather, Austria confronted the heatwave with a rainfall total of around 426 millimeters from January 1 to July 27. The long-term average for this period is 609 millimeters, resulting in a shortfall of nearly 30%. Authorities describe the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable stretch since at least the early 1900s. Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland experienced some of the most significant rainfall deficits across the country.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and scarce precipitation increased evaporation rates during late spring and summer, leading to reduced soil moisture and added pressure on crops, rivers, forests, and water supplies. Climate records indicate that Austria’s heatwaves have become more frequent, prolonged, and intense over recent decades. The average maximum temperature during such events has risen by roughly three degrees since the 1980s. The new July record serves as another confirmed indicator of Austria’s increasing extreme heat trend.