Heat wave in Ottakring: Tropy nights explode at record high!

Heat wave in Ottakring: Tropy nights explode at record high!

Ottakring, Österreich - The heat wave has also found its way into Ottakring. According to an updated heat card from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH), the number of tropical nights in this Viennese district has increased drastically. The nights in which the temperatures are above 20 degrees rose from 12 in 2020 to impressive 47 nights in 2024. The average number of heat days over 30 degrees in 2024 is more than doubled compared to 2020 when there were only 23 hot days, such as Meinzärd reported.

In this increasingly hot environment, older fellow citizens are in particular at risk. In 2024, the proportion of over 65-year-olds in Ottakring was 16.1 percent. High temperatures are a serious risk for this age group, especially because of possible previous illnesses. The lack of nightly cooling increases the stress and can have fatal health consequences. Climate change boosts this development and leads to more frequent and more intensive heat waves, which is also confirmed in other regions, as the Federal Environment Agency shows.

an alarming trend

The increase in tropical nights and heat days is not just a locally limited problem. Instead of observing the frequency of such weather extremes in Germany and Austria since the 1980s, a report by the UN Environment program (UNEP) shows that the heat-related deaths have increased by 85 percent in older people since the 1990s. These alarming numbers refer to a total number of more than 60,000 heating deaths in Europe in the summer of 2022, with half of these cases being attributed to climate change, loudly Frisn.de.

The increasing temperatures and heat loads not only represent a health danger, but also require a rethink in urban planning and social policy. Basic measures are necessary to improve the living environment for the most vulnerable sections of the population. Suggestions range from increased greening of urban areas to information events to efficient cooling options during extreme heat.

health effects

The current data confirm that climate change also demands its toll in Ottakring. Although advice such as windows close, pulling curtains and helping to ventilate in the evening, they are often not sufficient if the temperatures increase above 30 degrees. The heat card therefore not only offers an overview of the temperature development, but also serves as a valuable basis for the implementation of countermeasures, as the Federal Environmental Office.

So we have to face the challenges that a changing climate situation brings with it. It is particularly crucial for our older generations that we take the topic seriously and take the necessary steps to secure their quality of life in times of climate change and extreme heat.