Can the capital be hotter than ever in the history of weather observations? Today, August 4, the answer is yes, and the record has fallen for the second time in two days.
At the Bratislava-Koliba meteorological station (meteorological station) during the day, 40.8°C was measured — a new absolute temperature maximum for Bratislava. The figure was confirmed by the spokesperson of SHMÚ (Slovenský hydrometeorologický ústav, Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute) Ivan Garčár, reports RTVS.
The record lasted exactly one day
The previous achievement stood only since yesterday: on August 3 at the same Koliba station (meteorological station) 39.9°C was recorded, and then for the first time in the history of measurements, the temperature in Bratislava came close to the forty-degree mark. Today this psychological boundary was crossed.
The night was even hotter than the day. From August 3 to 4 in the village of Plavecký Peter in the west of the country, the temperature did not drop below 27.5°C — a new national record for the highest minimum temperature. Cooling with air conditioning or airing out at night in such conditions can be forgotten.
Forty degrees — across the whole country, even in the Tatras
The mark of 40°C and above was recorded today at several stations across Slovakia, writes Aktuality.sk:
- Kráľová pri Senci — 40.8°C;
- Dolné Plachtince (district Veľký Krtíš) — 40.7°C;
- Mochovce and Kamenica nad Hronom — both 40.6°C;
- Gabčíkovo, Hurbanovo, Mužla and Senica — also over 40°C.
The heat wave even reached the high mountains. At Lomnický štít today, 16.4°C was measured — more than the record 16.1°C from 1998, and at Skalnaté pleso — 24.7°C compared to the previous 23°C from 2017.
The absolute record of Slovakia, however, survived: on June 30 in Kamenica nad Hronom 41.3°C was recorded. For comparison: before this summer, the all-Slovak maximum was 40.3°C, set on July 20, 2007, in Hurbanovo.
Summer 2026 — exceptional in statistics
According to SHMÚ data, 2026 is the first year in the history of observations when 40-degree heat covered Slovakia with two different, unrelated heat waves in one summer: at the end of June and the beginning of August.
And this is not the end. For Wednesday and Thursday, August 5–6, hydrometeorologists have already issued warnings of the highest degree of high temperatures for a significant part of the country. The national record fell today in neighboring Austria as well — in the Vienna district of Stammersdorf, 41°C was measured.
How to survive the coming days
Meteorologists and doctors advise a standard but effective set of rules:
- Avoid being in the sun from 11:00 to 17:00, especially children and elderly people.
- Drink more water, even if you do not feel thirsty. Alcohol and too much coffee in such heat are a bad idea.
- If you work outside, take breaks in the shade and arrange with your employer to shift the hottest hours.
- Do not leave children and animals in a parked car even "for five minutes."
In case of heat stroke or worsening health, call the emergency line 155 — numbers of all emergency services are collected in our directory of important phone numbers.
