climate
The summer of 2023 was the seventh hottest since weather records began in Austria 260 years ago. In Vorarlberg, the highest air temperature in all of Austria this summer was measured in Bludenz at 37.7 degrees.
02.09.2023 12.05
Online since today, 12:05 pm
With meteorological summer coming to an end in early September, it’s time to look back at the weather of the past few months. The data shows: The summer of 2023 was warmer than average and is one of the seven hottest summers since systematic weather records began in Austria 260 years ago.
Heat waves and hot days
Despite a temporary cooling around July 20, another heat wave began shortly before mid-August. This lasted an unusually long time, about two weeks, especially in the second half of August. The number of so-called hot days, in which the temperature reached 30 degrees or more, increased significantly again. There have been 20 such days recorded in Bregenz this summer, more than double the average over the past 30 years. The highest temperature of the summer was measured in Bludenz, Vorarlberg, at 37.7 degrees on July 11th.
Extreme air temperature values in the summer of 2023
| Weather station | temperature | Date | |
| Higher air temperature | Bludenz (V, 571 m) | 37.7ºC | July 11 |
| Lower air temperature | Brunnenkogel (T, 3437 m) | -9.1ºC | August 8 |
| Inhabited place with lower air temperature | Schwarzau/Freiwald (N, 788 m) | -1.2ºC | June 13 |
| Lowest air temperature below 1000 m | Schwarzau/Freiwald (N, 788 m) | -1.2ºC | June 13 |
Number of hot days (at least 30 °C) in summer
| Summer 2023 | Average 1961-1990 | Average 1991-2020 | record | |
| Vienna Hohe Warte | 38 | 9 | 20 | 40 in summer 2015 |
| Vienna city center | 37 | – | 25 | 44 in summer 2019 |
| Eisenstadt | 30 | 11 | 20 | 38 in the summer of 2015 |
| Saint Polten | 29 | 11 | 18 | 40 in summer 2015 |
| City of Linz | 30 | 5 | 15 | 39 in the summer of 2015 |
| Salzburg airport | 25 | 6 | 12 | 31 in the summer of 1994 |
| University of Innsbruck | 35 | 9 | 21 | 43 in summer 2015 |
| Bregenz | 20 | 3 | 8th | 29 in summer 2015 |
| University of Graz | 20 | 4 | 17 | 38 in the summer of 2003 |
| Klagenfurt Airport | 21 | 6 | 18 | 37 in the summer of 2003 |
The sunniest places in summer 2023
| Weather station | Weather station | Deviation from the average 1991-2020 | |
| Below 1000 m above sea level | Podersdorf (B, 116 m) | 796 hours | n/a |
| More than 1000 m above sea level | Sulzberg (V, 1014m) | 705 hours | n/a |
Climate change as the cause?
Although there have been hot summers in the past, the current accumulation of hot summers is impressive. Of the 15 hottest summers in the last 260 years, 13 have occurred in the last 30 years. “This is an accumulation of hot summers, it cannot be a coincidence – we can already see that the climate is about to change,” meteorological experts said. However, a single summer does not allow direct conclusions to be drawn about climate change.