Austria hits all-time temperature high for 2nd day running, at 41.2 deg C

VIENNA - Austria set an all-time temperature record for a second day running on Aug 5, recording 41.2 deg C in the east of the country, the national weather agency said.

The reading at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg broke a previous record of 41 deg C set on Aug 4 in the capital Vienna, GeoSphere Austria said in a statement.

The spike comes during an exceptional spell of hot weather and low rainfall that had already seen several local records broken.

Austria suffered its fourth-warmest July on record, and at some measuring stations, the precipitation deficit reached 90 per cent, according to the weather agency.

On the evening of Aug 4, Christina, a 20-year-old ice cream seller in Vienna, told AFP that business had been exceptionally slow earlier in the day because of the scorching temperatures.

“Later, when the sun goes down, we have lots of clients, thankfully,” she said, adding that “the fan is saving us, it’s our life-saver”.

Climate change has intensified a drought across Europe this summer, with extreme heat driving the exceptionally dry conditions, according to experts. AFP