WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria experienced a new temperature high for July on July 31 when Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius. This measurement surpassed the previous July record of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. The record was verified by GeoSphere Austria amid a period of intense heat across eastern Austria. The country’s all-time highest temperature for any month remains 40.5 degrees, recorded at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
This July spike followed an unusually scorching June that set multiple temperature records. GeoSphere Austria indicated that 157 of its 277 monitoring stations established new maximum temperatures for June. An additional 66 stations recorded their highest temperature ever for any month. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg registered 40.1 degrees on June 29. Several low-altitude regions experienced between 10 and 14 days consecutively with temperatures above 30 degrees.
Researchers from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimate that approximately €1.4 billion in socioeconomic damages resulted from the heatwaves in June and late July. Their initial estimate encompasses health impacts, lost labor productivity, agricultural damage, and infrastructure pressure. It also accounts for increased cooling requirements, ecosystem degradation, and heightened demand on public services. This figure does not reflect an official government damage total or insurance claim values.
Heatwave exceeds previous records in severity
Using area-degree days—a metric measuring heat intensity, duration, and geographic extent—the Wegener Center analyzed the events. They calculated about 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. Their evaluation placed the late July event between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which accumulated approximately 22,100 area-degree days across regions below 1,500 meters in elevation.
The extreme heat also correlates with a notable rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated 395 deaths linked to heat in June 2026, marking the highest June total since the agency began tracking this data. This calculation compares actual death numbers to expected figures during periods of intense heat. It does not require heat to be listed as the sole cause on each death certificate.
Drought conditions intensify the effects of record-breaking heat
Austria faced this latest heatwave following months of below-average rainfall. From January 1 to July 27, the country received about 426 millimeters of precipitation, whereas the average for that period is 609 millimeters, resulting in a shortfall of roughly 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 experiencing some of the most significant deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and limited rainfall increased evaporation during late spring and summer. These conditions led to reduced soil moisture, adversely affecting crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Austrian climate records indicate that heatwaves are now more frequent, last longer, and reach higher temperatures than in previous decades. The average maximum temperatures during heatwaves have increased by about three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s. The 40.3-degree July record adds a new chapter to Austria’s documented temperature history.