Extreme heat stress continues in eastern Austria – Geosphere warns of health risks

The heat is also reflected in water temperatures. The Neue Donau reached 23 degrees Celsius in the morning. „Der Donau-Seitenarm brachte es in der Früh erst auf 23 Grad Celsius“, hieß es dazu. The Alte Donau, an oxbow and standing body of water, was measured at 29 degrees Celsius on Monday according to ARBÖ.

Overview of bathing lake temperatures

At the popular bathing lakes as well, thermometers showed high readings on Monday morning. The Neusiedler See in northern Burgenland, also known as the „Meer der Wiener“, „meldete laut ARBÖ 28 Grad“. The Neufeldersee was only one degree below, reaching 27 degrees Celsius. The Flatschacher See reached 28.5 degrees, the Herrensee in Lower Austria as well as the Stubenbergsee in Styria reached 28 degrees Celsius. The Bodensee in Vorarlberg measured 24 degrees, the low-lying Hallstätter See in Upper Austria 22 degrees Celsius.

For comparison: the Adriatic off Split reached 26 degrees Celsius on Monday morning, the Venice lagoon 29 degrees. Significantly cooler were the Atlantic off Brest at 19 degrees and the Baltic Sea off Stockholm at 17 degrees Celsius. The Altausseer See in Styria was at around 23 degrees, the Weissensee in Carinthia at 25.5 degrees, and the Toplitzsee at approximately 20 degrees Celsius.

Warnings and recommendations from Geosphere

In view of the ongoing stress, Geosphere Austria addressed the population on Monday with urgent recommendations. Extreme heat stress leads „zu erhöhter Körpertemperatur, Schwäche und Müdigkeit und im extremen Fall auch zu Verwirrtheit und Schwindel“, warned Geosphere. As the cause of possible heat-related symptoms, the authority named dehydration of the body.

Specifically, Geosphere advised several precautionary measures: „Es wird empfohlen, auf ausreichende Flüssigkeitszufuhr zu achten sowie unnötige Anstrengungen während der heißesten Tageszeit zu vermeiden. Suchen Sie schattige und gekühlte Orte auf. Achten Sie besonders auf Kinder und vulnerable Personen in Ihrer Nähe.“ With this, the authority addressed the fact that heat can become particularly dangerous for older people, children, and persons with pre-existing conditions.

Outlook for the coming days

For the coming days, Geosphere Austria announced a gradual calming of the weather. On Tuesday, western Austria is expected to bring sunshine, clouds, showers and thunderstorms, with daytime highs ranging from 25 to 38 degrees Celsius from west to east, and humidity potentially high in some regions. On Wednesday, the west is expected to begin rainy, while the east initially remains sunny; rain showers and thunderstorms are expected widely, with highs between 22 and 34 degrees Celsius. On Thursday, according to the forecast, sunny weather with moderate temperatures is expected to prevail again in most regions – between 12 and 19 degrees in the early hours and 22 to 28 degrees during the day.