Climate change on the Danube Island, in Austria and worldwide

Climate change on the Danube Island

The Danube Island functions as a north-west to south-east fresh air corridor, bringing cool air into the near-ground zones of the island and its surrounding area. The green zones of the island and the adjacent Danube and New Danube waterways have a cooling effect, even on very hot days. Nevertheless, climate change and its negative impacts are also making themselves felt on the Danube Island, as the following data show.

The average annual temperature for Austria as a whole has risen by about 1.9°C since the mid-19th century. An increase of about 1.5°C in the average annual temperature on the Danube Island was recorded in the period 2010 to 2018. The highest temperature measured on the Danube Island since records began was 38.8°C on 3 August 2017.

Number of very hot days

There has also been a significant increase in the number of very hot days in the areas of Vienna around the Danube, although it is not as pronounced as in the inner-city districts.

36 very hot days were recorded in the areas of Vienna near the Danube in 2018. By way of comparison, an average of 15 very hot days per year were recorded in the same areas in the period 1981 to 2010. In 2017 there were 36 very hot days in the areas of Vienna near the Danube.

In 2018 there were 42 very hot days in the inner-city districts of Vienna, while the inner-city average for the period 1981 to 2010 was 21. 40 very hot days were recorded in those areas in 2017.

Number of very warm nights

There has also been a visible increase in the number of very warm nights, which are defined as nights where temperatures do not fall below 20°C. Whereas an average of 4 very warm nights per year were recorded in the areas of Vienna around the Danube in the period 1981 to 2010, the figure had risen to 9 by 2017.

Climate change in Vienna

Climate change is having measurable consequences in Vienna: between 1961 and 1990 there were an average of 9.6 very hot days per year where max. temperatures were in excess of 30°C, whereas in the period 1990 to 2010 the annual average had already risen to 17. In the period 2010 to 2018 a maximum temperature of over 30 degrees Celsius was recorded on an average of 27 days per year. The record years in Vienna were 2015 and 2018, each with 42 very hot days.

In the summer months Vienna is seeing increasingly long periods without rainfall, with precipitation shifting into the autumn and winter months.

So-called urban heat islands - i.e. areas in densely built-up areas of the city with significantly high temperatures - will continue to intensify a result of global warming. Urban planning measures are therefore required in order to mitigate, if not prevent, this trend.

Climate action in Vienna

Climate Protection Programme (KliP Vienna)

The Vienna Climate Protection Programme (KliP II - 2010 to 2020) aimed to reduce per capita greenhouse gas emissions by 21 percent from 1990 levels by 2020. The coordinating department for the programme is the Executive Office for the Coordination of Climate Protection Measures.

Everyone in Vienna can do their bit against climate change: not only the municipal administration, but also local people, businesses and energy producers. The Climate Protection Programme brings together all the measures aimed at sustainably reducing the burden on the climate.

Urban Heat Islands (UHI) – Strategic Plan for Vienna

The EU Urban Heat Islands (UHI) project was initiated in response to the global phenomenon of urban heat islands in major cities. Eight major European cities participated in the project under the auspices of the EU Central Europe Programme. The lead project partners in Vienna were Municipal Department 22 – Environmental Protection (MA 22) and the Institute of Structural Physics at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien).

Urban Heat Islands (UHI) - Strategic Plan for Vienna (German)

Climate action in Austria

The Austrian Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change

The updated version of the Austrian Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change was adopted in August 2017 and is the comprehensive nationwide framework for all activities aimed at adapting to climate change in Austria.

Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics ZAMG

Founded in 1851, the ZAMG is Austria's national meteorological and geophysical service. The ZAMG is in charge of the meteorological measurement network and is Austria's first port of call for climate analyses and statistics. The ZAMG is a research institution of the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF).

Climate Change Center Austria - CCCA

The Climate Change Center Austria (CCCA) is a contact point for researchers, politicians, the media and the public for all questions concerning climate research in Austria. The term "climate research" encompasses the scientific study of all aspects of climate change.

Climate change factsheets (German)

Climate action worldwide

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is an intergovernmental institution which was created in 1988 by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Its main task is to provide regular expert assessments of the scientific basis of climate change, its impacts and future risks, and options for adaptation and mitigation.

European Climate Adaptation Platform (Climate-ADAPT)

CLIMATE-ADAPT is a partnership between the European Commission and the European Environment Agency (EEA) and aims to support EU states in adapting to climate change. The Internet platform is designed to provide policy-makers at EU, national, regional and local level with reliable data and information for the development, implementation and evaluation of climate change adaptation measures.


Logo of the LIFE+ Programme of the European Union

The LIFE DICCA project is funded under the LIFE Programme of the European Union.

Contact for this page:
City of Vienna | Water Management
Any questions, requests, or concerns? Please contact the City Service at contact form