Heat Wave Live Updates

Hotter Than Greece Already by Mid-Morning

The second extreme heat wave of the summer has Austria firmly in its grip.(Bild: APA/ZOE-SOPHIE ZIMMERMANN)

The heat wave set new records in Austria on Friday: With a temperature of 40.3 degrees, a new national July record was set in Wieselburg (Lower Austria). It’s just 0.2 degrees shy of the all-time record. All the latest weather updates and warnings are available in the “Krone” live ticker.

40 degrees and higher! The heat map shows where it could get particularly hot in the coming days:

The day’s top stories in a nutshell:

• This afternoon, temperatures reached 40.3 degrees in Wieselburg (Lower Austria), breaking the 43-year-old July record in Austria. On July 27, 1983, 39.7 degrees were recorded in Dellach im Drautal (Carinthia).

• This leaves it just 0.2 degrees short of the Austrian all-time record of 40.5 degrees (set in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in 2013).
• The previous all-time July records were also broken in Vienna (39.7 degrees—previously 38.9 degrees) and Upper Austria (39.6 degrees—previously 39.2 degrees). 
• According to researchers, Austria is currently experiencing the most extreme heat wave since records began. Gottfried Kirchengast warns of the consequences.
• At these temperatures, often the only relief isa dip in cool water! ÖSV starConny Hüttershows on Facebook how she’s braving the scorching heat.
• In Hochlecken (Upper Austria), a helicopter had to fly in 7,000 liters of water tosupply calves.
• The drought is leading to water shortages. The state of Upper Austria is reporting the first emergency water deliveries. The municipality of Altlengbach (Lower Austria) is issuing an urgent appeal to residents regarding water conservation.

The heat is taking its toll on Austria: drought, the risk of wildfires, and health risks continue to rise.(Bild: Krone-Collage/Christof Birbaumer, APA/ZOE-SOPHIE ZIMMERMANN, FF Siegendorf)

The krone.at Heat Tracker: 

29 monitoring stations reported new all-time records
“This leaves us just 0.2 degrees short of Austria’s all-time heat record of 40.5 degrees, set in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013,” says Roland Reiter, a weather expert at the Austrian Severe Weather Center (uwz.at). In total, new all-time records were set on Friday at 29 measuring stations in Austria, new monthly records at 58 stations, and new daily records for July 31 at 208 stations.

This leaves it just 0.2 degrees short of Austria’s all-time heat record of 40.5 degrees, set in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in August 2013.

Roland Reiter, Wetterexperte der Österreichischen Unwetterzentrale

Will the record fall early next week?
Although a weak cold front will temporarily bring a slight drop in temperatures over the weekend, there is no sign of any lasting relief. As early as the beginning of next week, exceptionally hot air will once again flow into the Alpine region from the southwest.

“There is a very high probability that, in early August, temperatures will once again reach or even exceed 40 degrees in some regions. This could mean that, for the first time, Austria would record maximum temperatures of at least 40 degrees in all three summer months—June, July, and August,” said Reiter.

Heat Wave Continues
Based on current weather models, the heat wave is expected to last until the end of next week. New records for the number of so-called “hot days” (daily high temperatures of at least 30 degrees) have already been set at some weather stations. For example, Bregenz has already set a new station record with 31 hot days.

Over the course of the coming week, numerous other weather stations are expected to break their previous records; among others, a new record for heat days is expected in Salzburg over the coming week.

“The current trend clearly demonstrates that prolonged and exceptionally intense heat waves are occurring with increasing frequency in Austria. What used to be exceptional events is increasingly becoming the new normal,” explains Reiter.