Germany sizzles at unprecedented 41.5C high as scorching heatwave sweeps Europe, shattering previous temperature benchmarks

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Germany hit a record 41.5C on Saturday, provisional data from the national weather service (DWD) showed, marking a new all-time high.

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The reading was recorded at the Drewitz station in eastern Germany, a DWD spokesperson told AFP, breaking the previous record of 41.3C set just a day earlier in Saarbruecken in the southwest.

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Denmark records hottest day on record at 37C

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Denmark recorded its highest temperature on record on Saturday, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) said.

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Around 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), DMI said in a post to X that “with 36.6C north of Odense, we have the warmest day ever since measurements began in 1874,”

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With a sense of foreboding, it noted “the day isn’t over yet…”

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“The record lasted exactly one hour,” DMI said in a later post.

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“Now 37.0C has been measured at Odum north of Aarhus. And counting…”

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The previous record temperature in the Scandinavian country was 36.4C which was recorded in August 1975, according to DMI.

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DMI had warned that the record could be broken as a heatwave swept over the Scandinavian country, with media showing images of Danes around the country trying to cool off at beaches or along docks in the cities.

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The record coincided with the opening of the Roskilde music festival, and one attendant told public broadcaster DR that dragging his luggage to the campsite was “unbearable”.

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DR reported that the festival had set up water stations for the some 50,000 festival attendees.

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Peter Tanev, meteorologist for broadcaster TV2, noted that for years scientists had anticipated that the record would be broken.

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“We’ve been aware that the risk would be there — among other things because of global warming,” Tanev said in a comment.

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“The question right now is, how long will this record stand. It’s probably only a matter of time before we reach 40 degrees in Denmark,” Tanev wrote.

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In neighbouring Sweden, the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) also warned that temperatures in the south of Sweden could reach 36C or 37C in some places.

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Czech Republic new record at 40.6C

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The Czech Republic recorded its highest-ever temperature on Saturday, with a reading of 40.6C at a weather station in Doksany north of Prague, the national meteorological service (CHMI) said.

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The new high beat a previous record of 40.4C, set in 2012 in Dobrichovice southwest of the capital, CHMI added.

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“Temperatures are still rising mildly so this may not be the final value,” CHMI said on X, adding it would publish a full summary of temperatures later in the day.

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Like much of Europe, the Czech Republic has been grappling with a heatwave for the past two weeks.

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CHMI said the heat is expected to peak on Sunday with temperatures expected to get close or even exceed 41C.

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It added that Saturday marked the first time a temperature above 40C had been recorded in June.

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Streets in a southern district of Prague were unusually empty on Saturday, according to an AFP journalist, as Czechs opted to stay home, at swimming pools, in parks or air-conditioned spaces, or headed to the countryside for the scorching weekend.

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Prague’s public transport operator said it had reduced tram speeds to 40 kilometres per hour — and to 10 kilometres per hour under bridges — due to the risk of overhead wires warping in the heat.

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Water trucks have been spraying streets across the country to cool urban areas and help reduce ground-level ozone levels.

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Several festivals and other public events have also installed misting systems to help cool crowds.

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AFP

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