WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced its hottest July temperature on July 31, with Wieselburg reaching 40.3 degrees Celsius. This temperature surpassed the previous July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria confirmed the new monthly high during a heatwave concentrated in the eastern regions of the country. The country’s absolute temperature record remains 40.5 degrees, measured at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
This July milestone follows a June characterized by widespread and persistent extreme heat. According to GeoSphere Austria, 157 of its 277 monitored weather stations recorded new maximum temperatures for June. Additionally, 66 stations registered their highest temperature ever for any month. On June 28, Vienna hit 40.0 degrees, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recorded 40.1 degrees the next day. Several low-lying areas endured 10 to 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
The University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimates that the combined socioeconomic losses from the June and late July heatwaves total approximately €1.4 billion. This preliminary estimate accounts for health impacts, lost productivity, agricultural damage, infrastructure stress, and increased cooling demands. It also considers effects on ecosystems and public services. This figure does not represent a final government assessment or insured-loss total, as insurance data only reflect damage covered under active policies.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous Austrian records
The Wegener Center evaluated the events based on area-degree days, which combine heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent. Their calculations estimated roughly 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. The assessment placed the late July event between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior record for heatwave severity was during a 24-day episode in July and August 2013, which reached about 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters in elevation.
The extreme temperatures also coincided with a marked rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated 395 such deaths in June 2026, marking the highest June total since the agency started tracking this metric. Heat-related mortality reflects excess deaths during periods of unusually high temperatures, but it does not require heat to be the sole cause listed on death certificates.
Prolonged drought deepens Austria’s water scarcity crisis
Prior to the heatwave, Austria endured several months of unusually dry conditions. From January 1 to July 27, the country received approximately 426 millimeters of rainfall, well below the long-term average of 609 millimeters for that period, resulting in nearly a 30% deficit. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 1900s. Regions such as Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland recorded some of the country’s largest rainfall shortfalls.
Continued high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and limited rainfall accelerated evaporation during late spring and summer. These conditions led to reduced soil moisture and exerted additional stress on crops, rivers, forests, and water reserves. Climate records indicate that Austria has experienced increasingly frequent, prolonged, and intense heatwaves over recent decades. Between the 1980s and the 2020s, average maximum temperatures during heatwaves have risen by about three degrees. The new July record further confirms Austria’s trend toward more extreme heat events.