WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria set a new temperature record for July on July 31 when the town of Wieselburg hit 40.3 degrees Celsius, surpassing the previous monthly high of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. The GeoSphere Austria organization verified this record amidst a heatwave sweeping eastern Austria, although the country’s highest temperature ever recorded remains 40.5 degrees at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
This July temperature peak followed an exceptionally hot June, which saw widespread temperature records. According to GeoSphere Austria, 157 out of 277 monitoring stations reported new maximums for June, while another 66 stations recorded their highest temperatures ever for any month. On June 28, Vienna reached 40.0 degrees, and on June 29, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg registered 40.1 degrees. Multiple low-altitude regions experienced between 10 and 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
Research conducted by the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimates the socioeconomic damage from the heatwaves in June and late July at approximately €1.4 billion. This initial estimate encompasses health impacts, reduced labor productivity, agricultural losses, infrastructure stress, increased cooling energy demand, ecosystem damage, and additional pressure on public services. It does not represent an official government damage total nor the value of insurance claims.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous records
The Wegener Center evaluated these heat events through area-degree days, which measure the intensity, duration, and spatial extent of heat. They determined about 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave, while the late July event ranged between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s former record was set during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which accumulated approximately 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters in elevation.
The record-breaking temperatures also correlated with a notable rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated that 395 deaths in June 2026 were linked to heat, marking the highest June death toll since the agency began recording this data. This figure compares observed deaths to expected levels during extreme heat periods, without requiring heat to be listed as the primary cause on death certificates.
Drought conditions intensified the effects of the record heat
Prior to the recent heatwave, Austria experienced several months of below-average rainfall, with only about 426 millimeters falling from January 1 through July 27, compared to the usual 609 millimeters for that period, resulting in a shortfall of nearly 30%. Authorities have described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest such period since at least the early 20th century, with Lower Austria, Vienna, and northern Burgenland among the regions with the most significant deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, intense sunshine, and limited rainfall enhanced evaporation throughout late spring and summer, lowering soil moisture levels and adversely affecting crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Climate records from Austria indicate that heatwaves are now more frequent, last longer, and reach higher temperatures than in previous decades. Between the 1980s and the 2020s, the average maximum temperature during heatwaves has increased by approximately three degrees. The 40.3-degree July temperature now stands as a new record for Austria’s documented July temperature history.