Germany hits record 106 degrees as Europe swelters in heatwave

Germany entered the hottest stretch of the summer with a provisional national record of 41.3 C, or 106.3 F, in Saarbruecken, a reading that the German Weather Service said still had to pass quality-control checks. The mark topped the country’s previous all-time high of 41.2 C set in July 2019, and it came after Germany had already broken its June record of 39.6 C.

The heatwave did not stop at Germany’s borders. Denmark’s meteorological service recorded 37 C in Ødum, north of Aarhus, the warmest day there since records began in 1874, while Switzerland reached 38.8 C in Basel. Forecasters said the pattern driving the extreme temperatures, an Omega-block, was pushing east and could send readings above 40 C into parts of the Czech Republic and Hungary.

In Germany, the strain showed up in infrastructure and transport. The concrete on the A2 Autobahn burst in two places outside Berlin, forcing the highway to close, and Deutsche Bahn urged travelers to avoid nonessential train trips as rail networks faced the kind of heat that can warp tracks and slow service across the country.

The public health toll was just as immediate. In Dormagen, dozens of residents were evacuated from a nursing home after indoor temperatures climbed to 35 C. One resident died overnight, though authorities had not yet confirmed heat as the cause. The episode underscored how quickly older adults can be put at risk when cooling systems fail or indoor temperatures climb beyond safe levels.

Across western Europe, the same weather pattern was turning rare extremes into a broader regional emergency. Britain’s highest temperature for June reached 36.1 C, and France recorded its hottest day since records began nearly 80 years ago. Forecasters said the heat wave had already caused dozens of deaths in western Europe, a grim reminder that even wealthy countries with advanced infrastructure are being tested by conditions once treated as exceptional.