WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria broke a July temperature record on July 31 as severe heat swept through eastern parts of the country. A weather station located in Wieselburg, Lower Austria, recorded a temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius. This figure exceeded the previous July high of 39.7 degrees, which was recorded in Dellach im Drautal back in 1983. GeoSphere Austria verified the record for the month. The temperature stayed below Austria’s all-time high of 40.5 degrees, set in August 2013.
This recent record followed a notably hot June across much of Austria. Out of 277 weather stations monitored, 157 reported new maximum temperatures for June. An additional 66 stations experienced their highest temperature for any month. On June 28, Vienna reached 40.0 degrees, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg hit 40.1 degrees the next day. Several lower-altitude locations also faced a stretch of 10 to 14 days with temperatures above 30 degrees.
According to researchers from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center, the heatwaves in June and late July contributed to approximately €1.4 billion in socioeconomic losses. This estimate accounts for health impacts, reduced productivity at work, agricultural damages, infrastructure stress, and increased cooling energy needs. It further considers the strain on ecosystems and public services. The total figure does not represent an official government damage assessment, nor does it include insured losses, which only reflect claims covered by insurance policies.
Heat intensity surpasses previous national record
The study evaluated the heatwaves by using area-degree days, a metric that combines temperature, duration, and geographic spread. The June event registered approximately 16,700 area-degree days. The late July heatwave is estimated to have fallen between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark stemmed from a 24-day heatwave during July and August 2013, which totaled around 22,100 area-degree days across land areas below 1,500 meters elevation.
Furthermore, the early summer period coincided with a significant increase in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety reported an estimated 395 deaths during June 2026, marking the highest June figure recorded since the agency started tracking this data. Heat-related mortality indicates deaths exceeding the expected number during extreme temperature periods. Importantly, this measure does not require heat to be the sole cause listed on death certificates.
Prolonged drought exacerbates stress across Austria
Austria experienced the heatwave after months of unusually low rainfall. From January 1 to July 27, total nationwide precipitation was approximately 426 millimeters, compared to the 609 millimeters typical for that period, representing nearly a 30% deficit. Officials describe the first seven months of 2026 as the driest since at least the early 20th century. Areas such as Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland faced some of the most severe rainfall shortages.
Intense high-pressure systems, abundant sunshine, and scarce rainfall increased evaporation rates through late May, June, and July. These conditions led to reduced soil moisture and placed significant stress on crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Climate records in Austria show that heatwaves now occur more frequently and last longer than in past decades. Average peak temperatures during such events have risen by roughly three degrees since the 1980s. The latest July temperature record marks yet another step in Austria’s documented trend of escalating extreme heat phenomena.