Austria records 1,008 heat-related deaths in summer 2026

Austria recorded an unprecedented number of heat-related deaths last summer, with an estimated 1,008 fatalities, the highest figure since the country began monitoring heat-related mortality in 2017.

The Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES) announced today that the estimated number of heat-related deaths exceeded 1,000 for the first time between June and September 2026, amid exceptional heatwaves across Austria that broke previous temperature records.

The record number of heat-related deaths coincided with Austria’s hottest summer since records began. More than 100 weather stations operated by GeoSphere Austria recorded new temperature highs, according to meteorological data. Temperatures reached 41°C in the capital, Vienna, surpassing the previous national record of 40.5°C set in 2013.