Longest June Heat Wave Grips Austria and Large Parts of Europe

Peak Values Over the Weekend

According to GeoSphere Austria, around 120 of the approximately 280 weather stations could reach new June peak heat values over the weekend, 60 of which could even set new all-time station records. Across large parts of the country, peak values above 35 degrees are expected on Saturday and Sunday, with isolated readings possibly reaching up to 40 degrees. The nationwide June peak value stands at 38.6 degrees, measured on 20 June 2013 in Waidhofen an der Ybbs. The absolute temperature record for all of Austria was set on 8 August 2013 in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg at 40.5 degrees.

Records are also tumbling outside Austria: in Basel, 38 degrees were measured on the reporting day, breaking the June heat record from 1947. In Spain, France, England and the BENELUX countries, hundreds of weather stations registered new June peak values in recent days, with readings above 40 degrees measured on several days and at multiple locations in Spain and France, and locally even close to 45 degrees. In Germany, a record for the warmest night was set.

Climate Change as an Amplifier

Marc Olefs, head of the Climate Impact Research Department at GeoSphere Austria, puts the development into context: "The current heat wave unfortunately fits the picture very well" of climate research, which has been documenting an intensification and earlier onset of heat waves for years. He also warns: "The typical annual fluctuations in weather patterns are amplified by climate warming. As a result, increasingly extreme temperatures are being reached." Particularly in the current case, the air flowing from North Africa into Europe is significantly warmer than in an average June, and the continent has already been heated above average by an initial heat wave in June.

An initial investigation by the French project Climameter using an attribution study shows that human-made climate change has intensified the current heat wave by two to four degrees. "What is clear according to the World Climate Council, however, is: The climate crisis is making extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and flooding, heat, and drought more frequent and intense," the analysis states.

The cause of the stable weather pattern is a so-called blocking: a high-pressure system lies over large parts of Europe and blocks the path of low-pressure systems moving in from the Atlantic. Over the weekend, the center of the heat shifts eastward and then affects, in addition to Austria, particularly northern Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and southern Scandinavia.

Measures in Europe

The authorities are responding: France is putting hospitals into crisis mode because of the heat, the Paris Police Prefecture has imposed a far-reaching alcohol ban in the French capital, Geneva is introducing temporary work rules due to the heat, and the Canton of Basel-Landschaft is tightening its protective measures due to the drought. At the Swiss nuclear power plant Beznau, both reactors were throttled back to 50 percent capacity. The municipality of Ostermundigen is limiting the number of visitors to the outdoor pool.

Cultural events are also affected: the Open Air St. Gallen is defying the scorching heat, according to the organizers, and is taking place despite the extreme temperatures. In Vienna and Graz, heat helplines and extended opening hours of outdoor pools are providing relief for the population.

Outlook for the Coming Week

Olefs looks ahead: "If current global climate protection efforts are upheld, climate change can be slowed somewhat, but a further warming is still to be expected by the year 2100, in Austria in the range of another two to three degrees compared to today." The ORF weather editorial team expects the end of the current heat wave to occur gradually from west to east over the coming week. On Monday, temperatures in Vorarlberg could already remain below the 30-degree mark, and by Thursday at the latest, this will also be the case in eastern and southern Austria.

The daily peak values at the beginning of July average around 25 degrees – so the population can hope for noticeable cooling. Nevertheless, the current heat wave leaves its mark in the measurement records: daily records at, for example, the University of Innsbruck weather station go back to the year 1877, and the current weather pattern fits seamlessly into the trend of increasingly frequent and longer heat waves documented by the World Climate Council in its reports.

The SRF Heat Tracker shows the current peak temperatures for 28 measuring stations, and the consumer magazine Kassensturz has also tested which fans are best suited for cooling at such temperatures. The authorities are appealing to the population to drink sufficient fluids, avoid physical exertion during the midday hours, and regularly check on elderly and people in need of care.