AGES estimates 190 heat deaths in Upper Austria

Heat was linked to an estimated 190 deaths in Upper Austria from June to September 2026, according to the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), ORF reported. Across Austria, the agency estimated 1,008 heat-related deaths.

Upper Austria had the third-highest estimated total among Austria’s states. Vienna recorded an estimated 229 deaths, followed by Lower Austria with 223 and Styria with 123. The other states had considerably fewer.

The national estimate is far higher than the 425 heat-related deaths estimated for 2025. In the hot summer of 2024, the figure was 989.

The 2026 estimate has an uncertainty range of 637 to 1,293 deaths. Austria has monitored heat-related mortality since 2017.

Austria experienced its hottest summer since weather records began this year. More than 100 GeoSphere Austria measuring stations recorded new temperature highs. The national temperature record was also broken: Vienna reached 41 degrees Celsius on August 4, and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg in Lower Austria recorded 41.2 degrees the following day.

Heat can put heavy strain on the heart, circulation, kidneys and lungs, and worsen existing illnesses. Death certificates rarely list heat directly as a cause, AGES said. Its monitoring system analyses the relationship between high temperatures and mortality to estimate how many deaths can be attributed to heat.

The model cannot identify individual people who died or determine their ages or possible pre-existing conditions. AGES said the estimates are intended to help assess the health effects of heat and plan protective measures.