July record

Never before have there been so many tropical nights in Vienna

Summer may still be in full swing, but the first records are already tumbling. Vienna has set a new July record for tropical nights, i.e. nights when the temperature does not fall below 20 degrees Celsius.

For example, 19 tropical nights were measured at the weather station on Karlsplatz. This was last the case in 2006. This means that there were already significantly more tropical nights in the city center in July than in the entire summer (i.e. June, July and August combined), as the long-term average is 15.5 tropical nights according to UBIMET.

The persistent heat in the city center, even at night, is not surprising, especially due to the high density of buildings, the high proportion of asphalt and concrete, which reflects little heat and instead stores a lot of heat.

Not the only heat island
However, the record was set at another location. Even at the measuring station on the Hohe Warte, there were 13 nights in July when it didn't really cool down. The consequences are fatal: nights that are not very restful and sweaty. 

Rising trend
One thing is certain: the number of tropical nights in Vienna has risen sharply in recent years. While there were around three tropical nights per year in the 1970s, by the 2000s there were ten to 15 per year. Since the 2010s, there have been around 15 to 20 tropical nights a year. And the trend is rising.

Those who can, flee to the water to cool off these days.(Bild: Klemens Groh)

What will the weather be like over the next few days?
Temperatures will temporarily drop slightly, but will remain at a summery level. The next warm-up is already on the horizon from Sunday.