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Austria hits 41 °C record as heatwave drives water cuts and city adaptations
On 4 August 2026 the Stammersdorf weather station in Vienna recorded 41 °C, setting a new national temperature record for Austria. The heatwave also produced a 40.8 °C reading in central Vienna and triggered red‑level heat alerts for Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland.
The extreme temperatures caused drought‑related problems: wildfires burned 18 ha in the Lobau area, river traffic on the Danube largely halted, and the Wiener Wasser utility temporarily cut water deliveries to the nearby municipality of Laab im Walde. Health authorities issued heat‑wave advisories for vulnerable groups.
Cities responded with mitigation measures. Vienna created a network of “Cool Zones” with shaded areas, fountains, misting stations and cooled public buildings. Graz announced a programme to plant more trees, reduce sealed surfaces and apply the Schwammstadt (sponge‑city) technique to store rainwater and cool streets. Additional night‑time records were set, including a 28.5 °C minimum in Hornstein and a 28.1 °C night in central Vienna, the highest night‑time temperatures ever recorded in the country.
Entities
Austria · Bad Deutsch‑Altenburg · Burgenland · Cool Zones (Vienna) · Cool zones · Danube River · GeoSphere Austria · Graz · Hornstein · Judith Schwentner · Laab im Walde · Langenlebarn
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 11 SOURCES] GeoSphere Austria confirmed the new temperature record. www.diarioextra.com · veja.abril.com.br · www.24sata.hr · expres.mk · www.fakt.pl · +2 more
- [● 5 SOURCES] The heatwave halted most Danube river traffic near Vienna. www.zagreb.info · expres.mk · m.noen.at
- [● 4 SOURCES] The previous Austrian national temperature record was 40.5 °C recorded on 8 August 2013 at Bad Deutsch‑Altenburg. www.fakt.pl · www.diarioextra.com
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Vienna created a network of publicly accessible “Cool Zones” with shaded areas, fountains, misting stations and cooled public buildings. www.energieleben.at
- [● 13 SOURCES] A red‑level heat alert was issued for Vienna and parts of Lower Austria and Burgenland. expres.mk · www.fakt.pl · www.diarioextra.com · laprensadelara.com · www.24sata.hr · +2 more
- [● 8 SOURCES] Vienna’s Stammersdorf weather station recorded a temperature of 40.8 °C on 4 August 2026. www.diarioextra.com · veja.abril.com.br · www.24sata.hr · www.fakt.pl · m.noen.at
- [● 8 SOURCES] Precipitation deficits of up to 90 % were recorded in parts of Austria during the heatwave. www.diarioextra.com · expres.mk · www.24sata.hr · laprensadelara.com · kroativ.at
- [● 4 SOURCES] Farmers reported difficulty feeding livestock because of dry pastures. www.diarioextra.com · expres.mk · kroativ.at · www.klick-kaernten.at
- [● 7 SOURCES] Vienna’s Stammersdorf weather station recorded 41 °C on 4 August 2026, setting a new national temperature record. www.diarioextra.com · laprensadelara.com · www.24sata.hr · www.zagreb.info · veja.abril.com.br · +1 more
- [● 4 SOURCES] Vienna recorded temperatures of 40.1 °C, 40.2 °C, 40.6 °C and 40.8 °C earlier in the same heatwave. www.diepresse.com · m.noen.at · www.fakt.pl
- [● 10 SOURCES] The previous Austrian national temperature record was 40.5 °C set on 8 August 2013 at Bad Deutsch‑Altenburg. www.fakt.pl · m.noen.at · expres.mk · www.diarioextra.com · laprensadelara.com · +2 more
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Vienna created a network of “Cool Zones” with shaded areas, fountains, misting stations and cooled public buildings. www.energieleben.at