WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria recorded its highest July temperature on July 31, when Wieselburg in Lower Austria reached 40.3 degrees Celsius. The reading broke the national July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal on July 27, 1983. GeoSphere Austria confirmed the new monthly high as a severe heatwave tightened its grip on eastern regions. The temperature remained below Austria’s all-time record of 40.5 degrees, measured in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
Austria’s July heat record highlights rising costs from extreme temperatures.
The July record followed an extreme June that produced widespread temperature highs across the country. GeoSphere Austria said 157 of its 277 weather stations set new June maximum records. Sixty-six stations also posted their highest temperature for any month. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recorded 40.1 degrees the next day. That reading established a new Austrian June high. Many low-lying areas endured between 10 and 14 consecutive days above 30 degrees.
Researchers at the University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimate the June and late July heatwaves caused around €1.4 billion in socioeconomic damage. The figure represents an initial broad estimate, not a final government assessment or an insured-loss total. Their calculation covers effects on health, labor productivity, infrastructure, agriculture, ecosystems and cooling demand. The researchers assessed both episodes using a metric that combines heat intensity, duration and geographic reach, rather than relying only on one station’s highest temperature.
Researchers measure nationwide heat intensity
The Wegener Center calculated about 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. Its latest assessment placed the current episode between 22,700 and 25,000 area-degree days. The previous benchmark came during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013. That event reached about 22,100 area-degree days. The metric measures how far temperatures above 30 degrees spread across Austria and how long those conditions last. The calculation covers land up to 1,500 meters above sea level.
Austria’s health authorities have also documented a heavy human toll from the early summer heat. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated 395 heat-associated deaths in June 2026. That was the highest June total since the agency began its monitoring series. Heat-associated mortality reflects deaths above expected levels during periods of extreme temperatures. It does not require heat to appear as the sole medical cause on each death certificate.
Record heat deepens prolonged Austrian drought
The heat has deepened a drought that began in December 2025. GeoSphere Austria reported 426 millimeters of nationwide rainfall from January 1 through July 27. The climate average for that period is 609 millimeters, leaving a deficit of about 30%. The agency said Austria had not recorded such low rainfall during the first seven months of a year since at least the early 20th century. Lower Austria, Vienna and northern Burgenland rank among the most affected areas.
Long periods of high pressure, strong sunshine and limited rainfall increased evaporation and reduced soil moisture during late May, June and late July. The dry conditions have placed pressure on crops, rivers, forests and water supplies in several regions. GeoSphere Austria said heatwaves now occur more often, last longer and reach higher temperatures than in past decades. Its records show average maximum temperatures during heatwaves rose by about three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s.
