Temperatures hit record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that has been sweeping western Europe this week moves into central and eastern parts of the continent.
The unusually high temperatures recorded even in the Nordic countries are not known for summer heat. The Danish Meteorological Institute reported a new record high of 37 C in Ødum, north of Aarhus – the warmest day since records began in 1874.
In Switzerland, a record of 38.8 C was set in the city of Basel.
Germany's famous Autobahn was also frustrated, as temperatures were expected to reach 40 C. In two places outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 exploded due to high temperatures, and the highway had to be closed. Other road damage was reported across the country, according to German daily Bild.
Hundreds of people have died from the heatwave in Europe, a continent where air conditioning is not common. But while ACs may save lives, they can make the problem worse.
Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies have advised against all non-essential train travel this weekend.
“Transport infrastructure in Germany was severely affected by the record-breaking heat this weekend,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement.
The Czech Republic also saw its hottest day on record, at 40.6 C in the northern town of Doksany. The magicians said it could still increase.
Residents evacuated from German nursing home
In the western German city of Dormagen, a number of residents of a nursing home were evacuated for medical attention due to dangerous heat in the building.
The local fire department reported that indoor temperatures reached 35 C. Air conditioning is not available in Germany and many European countries because the continent is not used to oppressive heat.
A resident of the house died overnight, but it was not clear whether the heat was the cause, said a city spokesperson to the German media dpa.
Hospitals are under a lot of pressure in France
In France, temperatures were dropping as high temperatures began to pass through other parts of the country. But hospitals remained under enormous pressure to deal with heat-related emergencies, including cardiac arrest, palpitations and dehydration.
The head of a public hospital in Paris said it has activated its emergency response system in all 38 hospitals to cope with the continued increase in activity.
AP-HP authorities said Friday that its emergency departments had treated nearly 3,000 patients in the past 24 hours, a third more than usual, with most of them over the age of 75 requiring hospitalization. Calls to its medical dispatch centers are up nearly 80 percent compared to the same period in 2025, it said.
Three-quarters of France, covering tens of millions of people, was placed under a red alert for extreme heat on Thursday and Friday as the mercury topped 40 C in some places, including Paris.
Concerns that hospitals could be overwhelmed led to the postponement of the Paris Pride march for 2SLGBTQ+ rights on Saturday, and a three-day music event.
Temperatures this week were hotter than during the 2003 heat wave that was blamed for 15,000 heat-related deaths, most of them elderly. The director of AP-HP, Nicolas Revel, said he did not expect so many deaths this time, at least in Paris hospitals, in part because treatment for burns has improved.
Clare Nullis, spokeswoman for the World Meteorological Organization, said on Friday that at one point, she did not think that the organization would be able to keep up with all the temperature records in Europe. One city in western France reached a high of 43.8 C during the day, while other areas kept the heat well into the night, Nullis said.
In one incredibly hot summer last year, more than 5,700 people died from the heat, according to public health authorities in France.
“I think we'll be there, obviously, by 2025 and unless we reach the catastrophic level of 2003. But we have to expect that there will still be many deaths,” he said.
UK temperatures drop after 3 hottest days on record
In the UK, sweltering conditions are expected to ease gradually this weekend although an amber warning – one step down from red – remains in place until Saturday night.
Britons struggled to cope this week as record June temperatures were smashed for three days in a row. Friday was confirmed as the hottest June day in the country, with a temporary temperature of 37.3 C recorded in the east of England.
It was 1 C hotter than the long-standing UK June temperature record, set in the summer of 1976.
On Saturday, the police said that the body of a 22-year-old man was pulled from the river after it was reported that he had a problem in the water when it was very hot.
Authorities have warned people to be extra careful when swimming in unsupervised areas, such as rivers or lakes, following the deaths of around 40 people in France last week.
A red heat warning remains in effect in Rome
In the capital of Italy, which is under a red heat warning, tourists tried to cool down by seeking shade near buildings and putting their heads under public fountains. Street vendors do a brisk business selling bottled water, hats and umbrellas.
Others turn to the Italian classics for help.
“Gelato, pasta, because it's traditional, but also fresh fruit, and ice cold drinks, that's the best in this heat,” said Isabella Dold, a tourist from Kempten, Germany.
On Saturday, Italy's Ministry of Health said 18 cities – including popular tourist destinations such as Venice, Florence, Bologna and Milan – were on red alert due to the risk of high temperatures.
Record temperatures are the focus of climate change
A new study from the World Weather Attribution, a collaboration of European scientists, reported on Friday that the record-breaking heat and humidity in Europe this week would not have happened without climate change.
A quick study found that heat would not have happened five decades ago, and it is 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago.
André Corrêa do Lago, president of the UN climate talks known as COP30, said the heat wave “helped strengthen the perception of the urgency of combating climate change.”
“The fact that we are living with this incredible heat in London is a strong argument, we have to agree, that we have to act quickly,” Lago told the Associated Press.
