Mortality during Heatwaves and Tropical Nights in Vienna between 1998 and 2022

Abstract

Rising summer temperatures lead to heat waves and tropical nights, which can result in health problems among the population. This work examined if mortality among Viennese people has increased under such weather conditions or whether the population was able to adapt to those periods of extreme heat. Therefore, the daily climatic data of the Austrian Weather Service and the number of daily deaths in Vienna from 1998 to 2022 have been put into relation. After calculating the mean values from those data sets, we analyzed the total number of daily deaths but also the death rate per 100,000 inhabitants for the total Viennese population, for men and women. The impact of age structure on possible trends was analyzed and ruled out. The analysis showed that the mortality on days with heat events was still higher, but the mean values of daily deaths decreased over time, despite a doubling of heatwaves and tropical nights, which speaks for an adaptation to heat events by the Viennese population.