Extreme heatwave breaks record temperatures in the Czech Republic, Poland and Germany

EUROPE’S MOST SEVERE heatwave ever has broken temperature records in eastern parts of the continent and forced Ukraine to order power cuts to cope yesterday.

The extreme heat, which hit Western Europe last week, has set records in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany as it moved east in recent days.

According to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute, Slovakia registered a new record temperature of 41C in Turňa nad Bodvou in the southeast yesterday. 

The mercury also reached 41.8C in Aszód in central Hungary, just below the country’s absolute heat record of 41.9C from 2007.

Speaking to reporters, Hungary’s Prime Minister Péter Magyar told reporters the government wanted state staff to work from home where possible.

He asked public services to reschedule outdoor work and requested that restaurants give out drinking water and air-conditioned public venues stay open.

With the Balkans also braced for temperatures of up to 40C, firefighters in Bosnia battled blazes sparked during the heat.

Ukraine’s energy network, already under pressure from Russian attacks during the past four years of war, buckled again under the high temperatures.

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Ukraine power cuts 

Authorities enforced emergency power outages as the state Hydrometeorological Centre said the country would face “intense heat”.

They said there would be more power cuts on Tuesday for industry and homes.

Temperatures of 35C-38C were forecast, though this is some way off the national record of 42C recorded in August 2010.

“The heat is also a serious test for equipment that has been operating under wartime conditions for more than four years and has withstood numerous attacks,” Sergii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno energy company said at the weekend.

He said that summer was the peak period for repairing the energy network, battered through the winter by repeat Russian attacks, meaning the grid was already “operating at the limit of its capabilities”.

At least 130 million people in Europe were expected to swelter through temperatures of more than 35C, down from 190 million on Sunday, according to an AFP analysis of forecast data.

Most severe heatwave ever recorded

According to the World Weather Attribution group of scientists, this heatwave is the most severe ever recorded in Europe and would have been “virtually impossible” this early in the summer without climate change.

More than 1,300 excess deaths were recorded in Europe since 21 June, according to the UN health agency, including several children who died in locked cars and youths who drowned as they sought relief in unsupervised swimming spots.

France reported at least 74 drowning deaths since 18 June and Poland said 17 drowned on Sunday alone.

With temperatures cooling in France, the national weather service has said it is already anticipating another heatwave in July.

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