Austria sees hottest 12 months in over 250 years

Vienna  :  Austria has seen the hottest 12 months in its more than 250 years of history, authorities said.

The Central Institute of Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) said on Friday that 2018 had already set a new calendar-year temperature record and the months from April 2018 to March 2019 made up the hottest 12-month span since temperatures were first recorded in 1767.

ZAMG meteorologist Alexander Orlik said measured against already-warm temperature averages from 1981 to 2010, the past 12 months were 2.2 degrees Celsius warmer, Xinhua news agency reported.

Compared to temperature averages from 1961 to 1990, the temperatures were an even higher -- 2.9 degrees over the average.

The previous record for a 12-month period was from July 2006 to June 2007, where temperature averages were 2.1 degrees higher than those seen between 1981 and 2010.