WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced its highest temperature for July on July 31, with Wieselburg reaching 40.3 degrees Celsius. This surpassed the previous July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria confirmed the new monthly peak amid a heatwave centered on the eastern regions of the country. Austria’s absolute temperature record remains 40.5 degrees, measured at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
This July milestone came after a June characterized by widespread and persistent extreme heat. According to GeoSphere Austria, 157 out of 277 monitored weather stations recorded new maximum temperatures for June. Additionally, 66 stations logged their highest temperatures ever recorded in any month. Vienna hit 40.0 degrees on June 28, with Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recording 40.1 degrees the following day. Multiple low-lying areas experienced 10 to 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
The Wegener Center at the University of Graz estimated that the combined socioeconomic damages from the June and late July heatwaves amount to approximately €1.4 billion. This preliminary estimate accounts for health impacts, decreased productivity, agricultural damage, infrastructure stress, and increased cooling demands. It also considers effects on ecosystems and public services. The figure is not an official government valuation nor an insured-loss total, as insurance data only reflect damages covered by active policies.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous Austrian records
The Wegener Center evaluated the heat events through area-degree days, a metric combining heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent. The June heatwave was estimated at around 16,700 area-degree days, while the late July event’s severity was assessed to fall between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which recorded approximately 22,100 area-degree days in regions below 1,500 meters elevation.
The extreme heat was also linked to a notable rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated that 395 deaths in June 2026 were associated with high temperatures. This figure represented the highest June mortality rate since the agency began tracking. Heat-related deaths are calculated based on excess mortality during hot periods, without necessarily requiring heat to be listed as the direct cause on death certificates.
Prolonged drought worsens Austria’s water shortage
Following several months of unusually dry conditions, Austria experienced the heatwave. From January 1 to July 27, total rainfall was roughly 426 millimeters, significantly below the long-term average of 609 millimeters for the same period, representing nearly a 30% deficit. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 1900s. Notably, lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland recorded some of the most substantial rainfall deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and scarce precipitation increased evaporation rates during late spring and summer. These conditions led to reduced soil moisture, stressing crops, rivers, forests, and water reserves. Climate records indicate that Austria has experienced more frequent, prolonged, and intense heatwaves over recent decades. Between the 1980s and the 2020s, average maximum temperatures during heatwaves increased by about three degrees. The new July record serves as an additional evidence of Austria’s increasing extreme heat trend.