WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria broke a July temperature record on July 31 when Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius. This surpassed the previous July high of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. GeoSphere Austria verified the record amid a heatwave sweeping eastern Austria. The highest temperature ever recorded in any month in Austria remains 40.5 degrees, set at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The peak in July followed an exceptionally hot June that set numerous temperature records. GeoSphere Austria reported that 157 of its 277 monitoring stations set new June maximums. An additional 66 stations experienced their all-time highest temperature. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recorded 40.1 degrees on June 29. Multiple low-altitude zones endured between 10 and 14 consecutive days above 30 degrees.
Researchers from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimated socioeconomic damages at around €1.4 billion due to the June and late July heatwaves. This initial estimate covers health impacts, decreased labor productivity, agricultural losses, and infrastructure stress. It also accounts for increased cooling needs, ecosystem damage, and pressure on public services. The figure does not reflect a final government damage tally or insurance claim amounts.
Heatwave scale surpasses prior records
The Wegener Center used area-degree days to evaluate the events, measuring heat intensity, duration, and geographic spread. They calculated about 16,700 area-degree days for June. The late July episode was estimated between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s previous benchmark was from a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which reached roughly 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters elevation.
This extreme heat also led to a sharp rise in heat-related deaths. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety reported 395 heat-associated fatalities in June 2026. That is the highest June figure since the agency started tracking this data. The estimate compares recorded deaths with the expected number during severe heat periods. It does not require heat to be listed as the sole cause on death certificates.
Drought worsens the effects of record-breaking heat
Austria experienced this heatwave after months with little rainfall. From January 1 to July 27, the country received about 426 millimeters of precipitation. The average for this period is 609 millimeters, meaning a shortfall of around 30%. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 20th century. Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland saw some of the largest deficits.
Persistent high pressure, intense sunshine, and scant rainfall increased evaporation during late spring and summer. These conditions reduced soil moisture and harmed crops, rivers, forests, and water supplies. Climate records in Austria reveal that heatwaves are now more frequent, last longer, and reach higher temperatures than in previous decades. Between the 1980s and the 2020s, average maximum temperatures during heatwaves increased by about three degrees. The 40.3-degree reading sets a new July record in Austria’s temperature history.