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Up to 36C: Austria braces for first heatwave of year before violent storms

Temperatures have already surpassed 30C in Austria, and the peak of heatwave is expected on Friday, with storms over the weekend.

Published: 20 June 2024 14:53 CEST

Up to 36C: Austria braces for first heatwave of year before violent storms

Austria is hit by its first heatwave of the year. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

Austria was sizzling on Thursday as the year’s first heatwave hit, with temperatures soaring to 30C and beyond. This early onset of extreme heat had experts concerned about the increasing frequency and intensity of heatwaves due to climate change.

Clemens Bauer of Geosphere Austria said that the initial heatwave would be particularly challenging for the body, which struggles to cope with the sudden and drastic rise in temperature. This was a clear illustration of the toll that climate change is taking on our health, he said.

However, subsequent heatwaves are less severe as the body gradually adjusts.

The first 30-degree day in Vienna this year arrived on Tuesday, earlier than the historical average, a trend that was also observed in Bruck an der Mur in Styria.

READ ALSO: How Austria plans to protect the public during heatwaves this summer

The duration of heatwaves has also increased over time. Vienna’s average number of hot days has risen from ten during the years 1961-1990 to 27 on average during the years 2010-2018. The peak of the current heatwave is forecast to hit on Friday, with temperatures predicted to reach 36C.

The lack of nighttime cooling poses an additional challenge, hindering the body’s recovery from heat stress. Vienna may experience its first tropical night of the year on Thursday, with overnight temperatures above 20C in the city centre.

Storms ahead

The severe weather centre is warning of severe thunderstorms on Friday and in the night to Saturday. While the heat will peak in the east of Austria on Friday at up to 36C, thunderstorms are expected to start in the west and then spread eastwards, meteorologists report.

READ ALSO: How to stay cool in Austria as the heatwave hits

There is a risk of severe weather in the east, especially on Friday afternoon and Saturday night, with heavy rain, large hail and severe storms. The potential for severe weather will decrease again on Saturday.

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How Austria plans to protect the public during heatwaves this summer

Just as people in Austria start bracing for the first heat wave of the year, with temperatures expected to reach 35C on Friday, the government has presented its “National Heat Protection Plan“.

The plan aims to raise awareness about the impact of extreme heat on individuals and systems while guiding state authorities and healthcare facilities to better prepare for and respond to heat events, according to a presentation by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens).

According to Rauch, Europe is warming up faster than other continents due to the impact of the human-caused climate crisis.

The minister said in a press conference that heat is already a burden for healthy people. However, it can become a real danger, especially for vulnerable groups such as babies, small children, the elderly, and sick people. Awareness of this should be raised.

READ ALSO: How to stay cool in Austria as the heatwave hits

The revised heat protection plan aims to raise awareness and make the healthcare system more resilient to future heat events. The plan sets out steps to be taken at the federal level in cooperation with the federal states and GeoSphere Austria, the country’s meteorological institute, in the event of extremely high temperatures.

What are the federal recommendations?

The plan recommends measures to the federal states and social and health institutions depending on the warning level and shows examples of best practices, such as setting up a network of “heat buddies.”

For example, people who live in retirement homes and care facilities or are cared for by mobile services should be better looked after.

“Heat protection requires more than just structural and technical measures. It is also a social task. It requires a joint effort. It is crucial to sensitise those responsible so that they can prepare measures for their institutions. That is the goal and the great benefit of this National Heat Protection Plan,” said Andrea Schmidt, Head of the Climate and Health Competence Centre at Gesundheit Österreich.

Exchange with state, social, and healthcare facilities will also be intensified. An information and training programme for the facilities’ health officers and an annual congress are planned. The plan also calls for heat to be given more significant consideration in urban development and spatial planning.

“We must use every opportunity to inform the population about correct behaviour and provide good care for people at increased risk during heatwaves,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch.

READ ALSO: How is Vienna planning to deal with heatwaves?

The minister said short-, medium—and long-term measures are needed to protect particularly vulnerable groups from heat stress. These include structural measures in public spaces, such as shading and installing drinking water dispensers.

In the short term, local initiatives such as Caritas climate oases, Red Cross cooling centres, and other neighbourhood support measures can improve the situation of older or sick people.

Responsibilities for the states

The federal states are responsible for implementing measures, each of which has its own heat protection plans that consider regional characteristics. The federal government coordinates the exchange between the states and experts. It is responsible for measures in the event of extreme heat from a perceived temperature of 40C and in the event of long-lasting, intense heatwaves, the national plan shows.

READ ALSO: Austrian heatwave: Six tips to get a better night’s sleep

The main aim is to convene the state crisis and disaster management team to coordinate the emergency measures of all parties involved (such as emergency organisations and federal, state, and local authorities). According to Rauch, the Ministry of Health also wants to intensify the provision of information to the population and place adverts on correct behaviour during heatwaves.

“Heat is also a social issue if people cannot afford air conditioning or a visit to the swimming pool”, said Rauch. He added: “We therefore also want to help create more places that offer free cooling, such as the 27 “Climate Oases” in Vienna and Lower Austria and the Red Cross “Cooling Centres.”“

Monitoring is also essential, as the press conference emphasised. Heat-related mortality is difficult to record, as heat rarely causes direct deaths but affects pre-existing conditions.

The AGES heat mortality monitoring programme calculates the correlation between temperatures and excess mortality. The analyses showed that in recent years, there has been a significant excess mortality of up to 500 people per year. Hospitalisations also increased by up to a quarter in extremely hot summers.

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