WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced a new temperature record for July on July 31, when Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius. This measurement surpassed the previous July high of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. The record was verified by GeoSphere Austria amid a period of extreme heat affecting eastern Austria. The highest temperature ever recorded in any month for the country remains 40.5 degrees, registered at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The peak temperature in July came after an exceptionally hot June that saw widespread temperature records broken. GeoSphere Austria reported that 157 out of its 277 monitoring stations set new maximum temperatures for June, with an additional 66 stations recording their all-time highest temperature. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg hit 40.1 degrees on June 29. Several regions at lower altitudes endured between 10 and 14 days consecutively with temperatures above 30 degrees.
The Wegener Center at the University of Graz estimated that the combined June and late July heatwaves caused socioeconomic damages amounting to approximately €1.4 billion. This preliminary estimate encompasses health impacts, reduced workforce productivity, agricultural losses, and strain on infrastructure. It also considers increased cooling demands, ecosystem degradation, and the pressure on public services. The total does not reflect an official government damage assessment or insurance claim values.
Heatwave intensity surpasses former records
The Wegener Center quantified the heat events using area-degree days, which measure heat intensity, duration, and spatial extent. Their analysis indicated around 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. The late July event was estimated to range between 22,700 and 25,000 area-degree days. Austria’s previous benchmark was set during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which accumulated approximately 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters elevation.
These extreme temperatures also corresponded with a significant rise in heat-related mortality. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety projected 395 deaths linked to heat in June 2026, marking the highest June figure since the agency began tracking this data. The calculation compares recorded deaths during hot periods to expected levels, without requiring heat to be explicitly listed as the cause on death certificates.
Drought conditions intensify the effects of record-setting heat
Austria faced the recent heatwave amid months of below-average rainfall, with about 426 millimeters of precipitation from January 1 to July 27. The typical amount for this period is 609 millimeters, indicating a shortfall of nearly 30%. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 20th century, with Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland recording some of the largest deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and scarce rainfall elevated evaporation rates throughout late spring and summer. These conditions reduced soil moisture and adversely affected crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Austrian climate records reveal that heatwaves now occur more frequently, last longer, and reach higher maximum temperatures than in previous decades. Between the 1980s and 2020s, the average maximum temperature during heatwaves increased by about three degrees. The 40.3-degree reading sets a new July record in Austria’s documented temperature history.