WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria set a new July heat record on July 31 when Wieselburg registered 40.3 degrees Celsius. This temperature surpassed the previous monthly record of 39.7 degrees from 1983 in Lower Austria. GeoSphere Austria verified the record amid a heatwave sweeping eastern Austria. The nation’s highest temperature ever recorded in any month remains 40.5 degrees, noted at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The peak temperature in July followed an unusually scorching June, during which many temperature records were broken across the country. GeoSphere Austria reported that 157 out of its 277 monitoring stations reached new maximums for June, while an additional 66 stations recorded their highest temperature for any month. In June, Vienna hit 40.0 degrees on the 28th, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg reached 40.1 degrees on the 29th. Several regions at low altitude experienced between 10 and 14 consecutive days with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees.
According to researchers from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center, the socioeconomic impact of the June and late July heatwaves is estimated at around €1.4 billion. This initial estimate accounts for health-related issues, lost productivity, agricultural damage, and infrastructural stress. It also encompasses increased cooling energy use, ecological damage, and the additional burden on public services. The figure does not reflect a final government assessment or insurance claim values.
Heatwave intensity surpasses previous records
The Wegener Center evaluated the events using area-degree days, a metric measuring the intensity, duration, and geographic extent of heat. The June heatwave was estimated at roughly 16,700 area-degree days, while the late July episode is thought to have ranged between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s prior benchmark was set during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013, which accumulated about 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters elevation.
These extreme temperatures coincided with a notable rise in heat-related fatalities. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated 395 heat-related deaths in June 2026, marking the highest June figure since the agency began tracking. This estimate compares the observed death toll with expected levels during extreme heat periods. It does not require heat to be listed as the sole cause of death on each record.
Prolonged drought aggravates the effects of record temperatures
Prior to this latest heatwave, Austria faced months of below-average rainfall. From January 1 to July 27, the country received about 426 millimeters of precipitation, compared to the average of 609 millimeters for that period, indicating a shortfall of nearly 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 largest deficits.
Persistent high-pressure systems, abundant sunshine, and minimal rainfall increased evaporation rates during late spring and summer. These conditions led to reduced soil moisture levels, impacting crops, rivers, forests, and regional water supplies. Climate records show that heatwaves are becoming more frequent, longer, and more intense than in previous decades, with average maximum temperatures during such events rising by approximately three degrees from the 1980s to the 2020s. The 40.3-degree reading adds a new July record to Austria’s documented temperature history.