And the number is rising

A Sad Record: 646 Heat-Related Deaths in Two Months

Measures to combat the heat are particularly needed in healthcare facilities.(Bild: CHW - stock.adobe.com)

The recent temperature records are taking their toll and posing new challenges for the healthcare system. In June and July alone, nearly 650 people died in Austria due to the heat—primarily the sick and the elderly.

Given the tumbling temperature records and a seemingly endless string of tropical nights, this was tragically to be expected. And yet the number is shocking: For the months of June and July alone, the Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) reported 646 cases of “heat-associated excess mortality.”

Never before have there been so many heat-related deaths in Austria. And the number is set to rise dramatically, as the August heat wave—including an all-time temperature record of 41.2 degrees on August 5 in Bad Deutsch-Altenberg (Lower Austria)—has not yet been factored in.

13 deaths per day in June alone
So far, June has been the deadliest month on record. The heat claimed the lives of 395 people. That’s 13 deaths per day—and nearly as many as in the entire summer (June through September) of the previous year.

Measures Announced
The sick, the elderly, and young children are most at risk. But the heat doesn’t just affect individuals; it also poses growing challenges to the healthcare system itself. A new analysis now reveals for the first time which facilities are particularly hard hit. The result: By the end of July, more than 70 percent of hospitals, senior care facilities, and nursing homes, as well as 80 percent of primary care centers, had faced at least 20 days of extreme heat.

Health Minister Korinna Schumann wants to take action: “We won’t pretend there’s a simple answer to this complex development. But we can take a very close look at where the greatest risks lie—and that’s exactly where we need to start.”

When it comes to heat, we must not just look at the numbers. We must also consider what the increasing heat means for our healthcare system.

Gesundheitsministerin Korinna Schumann

Bild: APA/HELMUT FOHRINGER

How the death toll is actually calculated
The calculation is based on what’s known as heat-associated excess mortality. The number of people who died “too many” compared to the average is compared with mortality data from days when it is particularly sweltering. The calculation is based on the latest scientific findings—the major change from the previous method is that daily, rather than weekly, weather and mortality data are analyzed.

In addition, the new model takes into account the delayed effects of heat, which can impact mortality for up to 21 days after an extreme heat day. This also allows for a more accurate representation of longer periods of extreme weather.

Speaking of heat: Even today, temperatures are climbing above 30 degrees in some places —so the record-breaking summer of 2026 isn’t giving up just yet...