Record summer brings heat, drought and storm damage

This summer brought records for temperatures, swimming pool attendance and agricultural damage in Burgenland, ORF reported. The ORF weather editorial team said the “record summer” had several causes, and another spell of heat could still arrive.

High temperatures drew record numbers of visitors to many outdoor pools and bathing lakes. Neutal Deputy Mayor Renate Grafl said the municipality could “certainly record a visitor record” this year. Ice cream parlours have also reported strong sales.

Some pools are considering extending the bathing season until mid-September because temperatures have risen again.

The conditions were far more difficult for farmers. Many suffered from drought, while maize crops in particular often remained stunted. “We have plants where there isn’t even the beginning of an ear,” Tobaj farmer Martin Jautz told ORF.

Fisheries were also affected. In mid-August, common carp were removed from and relocated within the Darscho fishing pond. The situation there has since stabilised.

Fire brigades were called out almost daily as grassland and forest fires repeatedly broke out. Severe storms also hit Kittsee in the Neusiedl am See district and Großbachselten in the Oberwart district in August.

In Großbachselten alone, the storm tore the roofs off around 50 buildings in the municipality. “We are simply relieved that nothing happened to us or anyone in the village,” Elisabeth Filipp-Werderits told ORF Burgenland.

According to ORF’s weather editorial team, the record summer resulted from several factors, including a long period of stable high pressure over Burgenland and pronounced dryness. Dry air warms faster than humid air, the team said.

“If this becomes normal, the climate zones would shift considerably faster than forecast,” said Gerald Holzinger of the ORF weather editorial team. He said forecasters hoped summer 2026 would be an extreme outlier rather than the new normal.

The number of tropical nights was also particularly demanding. These are nights when temperatures do not fall below 20 degrees Celsius. Podersdorf in the Neusiedl am See district recorded 26 tropical nights, according to Holzinger, the highest figure in Austria after central Vienna. Güssing recorded just one.

Despite some rain on Monday night, temperatures could rise again towards the end of the week, Holzinger said. That could bring another weekend when outdoor pools and bathing lakes remain open.