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36.8 degrees in Carinthia? In June? This value made many a meteorologist break out in a sweat, as it would be highly unusual: heat like this typically occurs, if at all, in mid-August in this country.
But on June 23rd in St. Andrä in Lavanttal? Then the measuring station itself probably got too much sun, as Martin Templin from the Ubimet weather service considers and assumes a measurement error. An obvious thought, as this station has already reported 15 hot days this year.
And that would be quite a lot for a midsummer that has only just begun.
But even without the hot station in Carinthia, the actual temperatures were high enough, with Güssing (Burgenland) reporting 35.3 degrees on Monday. This was the peak value and already approached the summer highs of 2024.
The heatwave is here to stay
Even the thunderstorm that swept across large parts of Austria from Monday afternoon, causing hundreds of fire department interventions and damage, will not stop the heatwave: well into the coming week—and thus at the start of the vacations in Vienna, Lower Austria, and Burgenland—daily highs of 30 degrees and above are expected in many places.
Wednesday and Thursday could also bring desert days, the term used to describe days with temperatures of 35 degrees and above. Depending on the region, daily highs will range between 28 and 35 degrees, with the highest temperatures in the east.
Friday will be somewhat cooler from the current perspective, with temperatures forecasted to be between 25 and 30 degrees. Thunderstorms are also possible in the first half of the day. Over the weekend, temperatures are expected to rise again, reaching up to 35 degrees.
How many hot days have there already been?
Forecasts for summer 2025 are admittedly vague, but one thing is known: “The long-term average temperature is rising,” emphasizes meteorologist Templin. A look at the previous year reveals that 2024 was the warmest year in Austria’s more than 250-year measuring history. Vienna’s (Innere Stadt measuring station) recorded a record 52 hot days, Eisenstadt 48, and St. Pölten 42. For comparison, the long-term average from 1961 to 1990 was approximately ten hot days per year in Vienna.
However, this year, too, there have already been several days on which temperatures have risen to at least 30 degrees.
Vienna (inner city) and Innsbruck: 9 hot days each
Graz: 8 hot days
Klagenfurt: 7 hot days
Eisenstadt: 6 hot days
Salzburg: 4 heat days
St. Pölten, Linz, and Bregenz: 3 heat days each
“That’s above average,” notes meteorologist Templin. “Nine hot days for Vienna in June is an unusually high number.”
But where does this weather situation come from,, and when does it change? The trigger is an Azores high, which—to put it simply—has now settled over the Mediterranean and is causing June highs in large parts of Europe, with temperatures of around 40 degrees being measured in regions of Spain, for example.
Will it get a little cooler again?
The experts do not see a change, i.e., a cooling down, until the end of next week; according to the weather models, a cold front is approaching. It would push the daily highs down to summer temperatures of around 25 degrees—if it arrives, because “The cold front is still uncertain at the moment,” comments the meteorologist.
- source: kurier.at/picture: pixabay.com
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