VIENNA, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The current heat wave in Austria has broken several record including the hottest June temperature, the Kronen Zeitung reported Thursday.
The city of Waidhofen an der Ybbs recorded 38.6 degrees, beating the previous June record of 38.1 degrees.
The Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said a total of 56 municipalities had thus far seen their June temperature records broken, including the longest-standing one dating back to 1950.
The heat wave has also triggered numerous accidents and calls for emergency services, the Red Cross in the state of Salzburg reporting many more calls than usual regarding persons with heat allergies or other negative reactions, as well as traffic accidents due to lowered concentration brought about by the heat.
Particularly affected have been the elderly who do not have adequate cooling in their residences, or have not consumed sufficient water, such cases estimated to make up half of all heat-related emergency calls, ORF reported.
The ZAMG expects some relief however, the weather forecast from Friday onwards predicting some rainshowers and thunderstorms and an overall cooling to see temperatures largely drop below 30 degrees.
