WIESELBURG, AUSTRIA / RankWire.AI / – Austria recorded its hottest July temperature on July 31 as Wieselburg reached 40.3 degrees Celsius. The Lower Austria reading exceeded the previous July record of 39.7 degrees, set in Dellach im Drautal in 1983. GeoSphere Austria confirmed the new monthly high during a heatwave centered on eastern parts of the country. Austria’s all-time record remains 40.5 degrees, measured at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.
The July milestone followed a June marked by widespread and sustained extreme heat. GeoSphere Austria reported new June maximums at 157 of its 277 monitored weather stations. Sixty-six stations also registered their highest temperature for any month. Vienna reached 40.0 degrees on June 28, while Bad Deutsch-Altenburg recorded 40.1 degrees the following day. Several low-lying regions endured 10 to 14 straight days with temperatures above 30 degrees.
The University of Graz’s Wegener Center estimated combined socioeconomic losses of about €1.4 billion from the June and late July heatwaves. The initial estimate covers health impacts, lost productivity, farm damage, infrastructure strain and higher demand for cooling. It also includes effects on ecosystems and public services. The figure does not represent a final government assessment or an insured-loss total. Insurance data only captures damage covered under active policies.
Heatwave scale surpasses earlier Austrian event
The Wegener Center measured the events through area-degree days, which combine heat intensity, duration and geographic coverage. Researchers calculated about 16,700 area-degree days for the June heatwave. Their assessment placed the late July episode between 22,700 and 25,000. Austria’s previous benchmark came during a 24-day heatwave in July and August 2013. That event reached about 22,100 area-degree days across land below 1,500 meters in elevation.
Extreme temperatures also coincided with a significant increase in heat-associated deaths. The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety estimated 395 such deaths in June 2026. That figure marked the highest June total since the agency began tracking the measure. Heat-associated mortality reflects deaths above expected levels during periods of unusually high temperatures. The calculation does not require heat to appear as the sole cause on each death certificate.
Rainfall deficit deepens national drought conditions
Austria faced the heatwave after several months of unusually dry weather. Nationwide rainfall reached about 426 millimeters from January 1 through July 27. The long-term average for that period is 609 millimeters, producing a shortfall near 30%. Authorities described the first seven months of 2026 as the driest comparable period since at least the early 1900s. Lower Austria, Vienna and northern Burgenland recorded some of the country’s largest rainfall deficits.
Persistent high pressure, intense sunshine and scarce rainfall increased evaporation during late spring and summer. Those conditions reduced soil moisture and placed added pressure on crops, rivers, forests and water supplies. Austrian climate records show heatwaves have become more frequent, longer and hotter over recent decades. Average maximum temperatures during heatwaves rose by about three degrees between the 1980s and the 2020s. The new July record adds another confirmed marker to Austria’s rising extreme heat trend.