Austria's heat record of 40.5 degrees Celsius could fall Sunday amid intense heatwave

Austria is bracing for the peak of an intense heatwave, with meteorologists from Geosphere Austria forecasting widespread high temperatures on Sunday, potentially reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius in the east. The highest weather warning level continues to be in effect for the northeastern part of the country, including the areas around Wels and Linz, as well as Graz, Klagenfurt, and Villach. Residents in these regions are facing "extreme heat stress."

There is a strong possibility that Austria's all-time heat record could be broken on Sunday. The current record stands at 40.5 degrees Celsius, recorded in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Lower Austria, in 2013. On Saturday, the highest temperature measured in Austria was 39.3 degrees Celsius at 5:00 PM in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, according to Geosphere Austria. Vienna-Stammersdorf followed with 38.8 degrees Celsius, with Vienna-Innere Stadt and Innsbruck-Universität both recording 38.7 degrees Celsius.

Meteorologist Ariane Pfleger noted that Sunday has the potential to be even warmer, possibly exceeding Saturday's temperatures by a full degree. "Perhaps the Austrian absolute record of 40.5 degrees in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg will also fall," Pfleger stated, adding that it would be a close call. The heatwave is expected to persist for at least three more days, particularly in eastern Austria, leading to the extension of the Red Heat Warning level until Tuesday, originally planned to end on Monday.

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The morning of Sunday has the potential to be a good degree warmer. Some further absolute records will likely fall.

Geosphere Austria reported that 18 measuring stations recorded temperatures of at least 38 degrees Celsius by 5:00 PM on Saturday. Six of these stations registered unprecedented temperatures for their locations, including Wien-Stammersdorf (38.8°C), Innsbruck-Universität and Bad Vöslau (both 38.5°C), Wieselburg (38.3°C), Melk (38.2°C), and Braunau/Ranshofen (38.0°C). The nationwide June record of 38.6 degrees Celsius, set on June 20, 2013, in Waidhofen an der Ybbs, has already been clearly surpassed.

Neighboring countries are also experiencing extreme heat. Germany recorded a new national high of 41.3 degrees Celsius in the Saarland on Friday. The German Weather Service predicts the heatwave's peak for the weekend, with temperatures possibly reaching 42 degrees Celsius, accompanied by severe thunderstorms. In Zurich, Saturday also saw record-breaking temperatures, with the station in Zürich-Fluntern reaching 36.2 degrees Celsius shortly before 3:00 PM.

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Perhaps the Austrian absolute record of 40.5 degrees in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg will also fall. It will be close, however.