The current heatwave in Austria pushed the thermometer to 40.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the highest-ever level since measurements started in the mid-19th century, according to the national meteorological agency, according to dpa. The record temperature was recorded in the town of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, 40 kilometres east of Vienna. The 30-year record of 39.7 degrees from 1983 started tumbling on Saturday, when 39.9 degrees were recorded in southern Austria. Farmers fear that the drought might wipe out harvests, while a series of forest fires have broken out in the past weeks. Countries across Europe have been suffering through heatwaves this summer, which have also caused forest fires in countries such as Spain, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Greece.
