Several countries, including the UK and Germany, have posted record June temperatures, with deaths reported in France.
Germany recorded a new national high of 41.5C (106.7F) on Saturday, provisional data from the national weather service (DWD) showed.
The service issued extreme heat warnings for nearly all of Germany on Saturday as authorities urged people to save water.
The previous record temperature in the Scandinavian country was 36.4C (97.5F), recorded in August 1975, according to DMI.
The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Switzerland have all recorded record June temperatures.
Several countries, including the UK and Germany, have posted record June temperatures, with deaths reported in France.
A record-breaking heatwave sweeping across Western Europe has been linked to dozens of deaths, with temperatures topping 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) pushing east into Germany and Poland.
Germany recorded a new national high of 41.5C (106.7F) on Saturday, provisional data from the national weather service (DWD) showed. The reading was recorded at the Drewitz station in eastern Germany, according to a DWD spokesperson, breaking the previous record of 41.3C (106.3F) set just a day earlier in Saarbrucken in the southwest.
The service issued extreme heat warnings for nearly all of Germany on Saturday as authorities urged people to save water.
The Czech Republic and Denmark also recorded their highest-ever temperatures this weekend. In the Czech Republic, a reading of 40.6C (105F) recorded at a weather station in Doksany, north of Prague, beat a previous record of 40.4C (104.7F), set in 2012 in Dobrichovice, southwest of Prague, the national meteorological service said.
Denmark recorded its hottest day on record at 37C (98.6F) on Saturday, the Danish Meteorological Institute said, measured at Odum, north of Aarhus. The previous record temperature in the Scandinavian country was 36.4C (97.5F), recorded in August 1975, according to DMI.
The United Kingdom, France, Italy and Switzerland have all recorded record June temperatures.
The UK broke the record for a June temperature for the third day in a row on Friday, the Met Office weather agency said, as a heatwave affected schools and hospitals and drove down business. A provisional temperature of 37.3C (99.1F) was recorded in Santon Downham, in Suffolk, southeast England, according to the Met Office, breaking the previous high of 36.9C (98.4F) set earlier in the day.
Before this week, the UK’s 1976 record temperature for June of 35.6C (96F) “had stood for 50 years, but – provisionally – it has been exceeded on three consecutive days this week,” said Met Office climate spokesman Grahame Madge.
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France has seen the heaviest toll, with deaths reported among both the young and elderly, while the extreme heat has disrupted rail travel, power generation and outdoor events across the region.
Italy’s Ministry of Health issued a red alert for the heatwave in 18 Italian cities, including Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Florence and Bologna, for Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures expected to climb as high as 39C (102F) in some areas.
Weekend peak
“The heatwave is going to peak at the weekend, well over 40C (104F) in some parts of Germany,” said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de.
The Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon taking place on Sunday in Frankfurt shortened the cycling and running segments due to the heat, organisers said.
Struggling with the prospect of damage to infrastructure, like buckling roads and swelling train tracks, several major public service providers have sought to reduce traffic.
German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn has given customers the option to cancel long-distance travel bookings until early next week without charge due to the heatwave.
The company said its infrastructure is under particular strain due to sun exposure and additional risks to signals, tracks, and overhead wires stemming from thunderstorms and wildfires.
Parts of Germany, mainly in the southwest, have already experienced a much hotter June than usual.
The most extreme heat is forecast to begin fading over the weekend, with heavy thunderstorms expected on Sunday.
Across Europe, cultural landmarks have had to close, farming has suffered, and some hospitals have struggled to cope.
The heatwave has pushed temperatures up to 18C (32F) above their seasonal average, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, and is being driven by a phenomenon known as an omega block.
This weather pattern traps a bulging ball of hot air over regions for extended periods, with cooler air on its fringes.
Demand for electric fans has shot up, and Asian air-conditioning makers have reported a boom in European sales.
Most of the housing stock in northern Europe is not built to temper heat, but rather to keep it in.
The present heatwave will begin to shift by the end of the month, affecting Central Europe and the Balkans, the World Meteorological Organization said.
Scientists said the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without man-made climate change, which has made this week’s night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been even two decades ago.
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If you need advice on how to stay cool and treat heatstroke during a heatwave, you can read our explainer here.
