Europe experienced another day of extreme heat on Saturday, with temperature records shattered across the continent as an unprecedented early summer heatwave intensified.
Germany set a new all-time high for the second consecutive day, reaching 41.5°C in Möckern-Drewitz, Saxony-Anhalt, according to preliminary data from Germany's Meteorological Service. This surpassed the 41.3°C record set just a day earlier in Saarbrücken.
Records also fell in Denmark and the Czech Republic, as the heatwave moved north and east, affecting more people. An estimated 150 million people across Europe are now experiencing temperatures above 35°C, with the World Meteorological Organization warning of "major impacts" on health and ecosystems.
The heatwave, which began on the Iberian Peninsula, has been linked to hundreds of deaths over the past week. In France, drowning deaths have risen to at least 55, with about two-thirds occurring in unsupervised areas. Spain's MoMo monitoring system recorded 327 potentially heat-related deaths between Sunday and Thursday.
"This heat isn't pleasant summer weather. It's a health crisis," said Katrin Goering-Eckardt, a German politician and former Green Party leader. In Berlin, police deployed two water cannons to spray mist on people seeking relief.
The Czech Republic recorded its highest-ever temperature of 40.8°C at a station in Doksany, north of Prague. Denmark reported a provisional 37°C in Odum, near Aarhus, exceeding the previous record of 36.4°C from 1976. Switzerland broke its June record for the third day running, with 39°C in Basel.
BBC lead weather presenter Ben Rich attributed the exceptional heat to a slow-moving, persistent area of high pressure known as a "heat dome," which compresses and warms air under cloudless skies.
Europe is the world's fastest-warming continent due to factors including rapid Arctic heating and changes in jet stream patterns. Scientists from World Weather Attribution say a heatwave of this magnitude so early in summer would have been virtually impossible 50 years ago, unequivocally blaming climate change.
Extreme heat is expected to continue through the weekend into Monday, with temperatures above 40°C still possible in some areas. However, cooler conditions developing in the west are forecast to sweep eastward, bringing relief later in the week.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk