Germany records provisional 41.3C temperature as heatwave grips Europe
Saarbrücken hit a provisional 41.3C, eclipsing Germany's 2019 record as heat forced cancellations, transport warnings and fresh alarms over health readiness.
Germany logged a provisional all-time temperature record of 41.3C in Saarbrücken on Friday as a brutal early-summer heat dome tightened across western and central Europe. The German Weather Service put the reading at 41.3C in Saarbrücken on Friday, with quality-control checks still pending; if confirmed, it would edge past the country’s previous peak of 41.2C, set in July 2019.
Germany had already broken its June record of 39.6C, also from 2019, before the new national high was reached. Forecasts called for temperatures above 40C across parts of Germany over the weekend, with some models pointing to 42C, as hot air pushed north from the Sahara under a strong high-pressure system.
The Bad Homburg Open tennis tournament was suspended on Friday and its final was moved earlier to Saturday morning. Cologne cancelled a children’s and family festival planned for Sunday, and an outdoor opera performance in Leipzig was called off after organizers judged it irresponsible for a youth choir to perform in such conditions.
Deutsche Bahn warned passengers to avoid travel and will refund tickets booked up to June 30, citing the risk of disruption from wildfires, heavy summer rain and thunderstorms. Authorities also warned of heightened forest-fire danger and possible fish die-offs in the Rhine, Mosel and Saar rivers as rising water temperatures cut oxygen levels.
In Munich, Pride events were still set to go ahead, but officials warned they would be hot and crowded and urged people to wear hats, drink water and use strong sunscreen. Across Germany, fatal swimming accidents rose, including deaths in Bavaria, Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and the Baltic Sea, and an investigation after three teenagers died after swimming in a canal in North Rhine-Westphalia.
France saw dozens of drownings and several infants dying in hot cars during the same heatwave. Martin Herrmann, head of the German Climate and Health Alliance, said Germany is still poorly prepared, or not prepared at all, for a heat-related disaster and called for heat protection to be built into disaster and crisis management in the same way as flood protection.
On Thursday, Berliner Stadtmission handed out water, food and suncream kits to homeless people.
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