WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced its highest temperature for July on July 31 when Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius. This surpasses the previous July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria verified the new monthly peak during a heatwave centered in eastern regions of the country. Austria’s all-time temperature record remains 40.5 degrees, recorded at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The July milestone followed a June characterized by widespread and persistent extreme heat. GeoSphere Austria recorded new maximum temperatures at 157 of its 277 weather stations. Additionally, 66 stations registered their highest temperature ever for any month. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, with Bad Deutsch-Altenburg hitting 40.1 degrees the next day. Several low-altitude areas experienced 10 to 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
The Wegener Center at the University of Graz estimated combined socioeconomic damages from the June and late July heatwaves at roughly €1.4 billion. This preliminary estimate accounts for health impacts, productivity losses, agricultural damage, infrastructure pressure, and increased cooling demand. It also considers effects on ecosystems and public services, though it does not constitute an official government assessment or insurance payout total. Insurance data only reflect damage covered by active policies.
Heatwave intensity exceeds previous Austrian events
Using area-degree days, which combine heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent, the Wegener Center assessed the events. They estimated approximately 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. Their analysis placed the late July episode between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior record was set during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, reaching about 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters in elevation.
The extreme heat also coincided with a notable 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 data collection began. Heat-related mortality reflects deaths exceeding normal levels during periods of unusually high temperatures and does not require heat to be listed as the sole cause on death certificates.
Prolonged drought worsens in Austria
Following months of unusually dry conditions, Austria experienced the heatwave amid a significant rainfall deficit. From January 1 through July 27, the country received about 426 millimeters of rain, below the long-term average of 609 millimeters, indicating nearly a 30% shortfall. 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 most severe rainfall deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and limited rainfall increased evaporation during late spring and summer, reducing soil moisture and stressing crops, rivers, forests, and water supplies. Climate records show that Austria’s heatwaves have become more frequent, prolonged, and intense over recent decades, with average maximum temperatures during such events rising by about three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s. The new July temperature record adds another clear indicator to Austria’s rising trend of extreme heat.