Europe heat wave shifts east as Denmark, Switzerland and Czech Republic hit records

Berlin,UPDATED: Jun 28, 2026 00:58 IST

Record temperatures spread across central and eastern Europe on Saturday as a heat wave that had scorched western parts of the continent moved further across the region. New highs were recorded in countries including Denmark, Switzerland and the Czech Republic, while transport networks, hospitals and public events came under strain in several places.

The unusually intense heat was also felt in the Nordic region, where such temperatures are rare. Authorities across Europe issued warnings, closed roads, advised people against non-essential travel and kept red alerts in place in major cities, as officials also pointed to the wider climate crisis behind the extreme conditions.

Denmark's Meteorological Institute reported a record 37 degrees Celsius in Odum, north of Aarhus, making it the country's warmest day since records began there in 1874. Switzerland recorded 38.8 C in Basel, while the Czech Republic saw 40.8 C in the northern town of Doksany, with forecasters saying temperatures could still rise. In Germany, temperatures were expected to touch 40 C, and the heat damaged parts of the Autobahn. Outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 burst at two places, forcing the highway to close, while the newspaper Bild reported other damage on highways across the country.

Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies advised against all non-essential train travel over the weekend. In a statement, Deutsche Bahn said, "Germany's transportation infrastructure is being severely affected by the record-breaking heat this weekend." In the western German city of Dormagen, dozens of residents of a nursing home were moved out for medical care after temperatures inside the building reached 35 C, according to the local fire department. A resident of the home died overnight, but a city spokesperson told dpa it was not yet clear whether the heat was the cause. Air conditioning is not common in Germany and many other European countries because such oppressive heat has not usually been part of the climate.

In France, several towns in the east recorded their highest-ever temperatures on Saturday, with some crossing 40 C, even as the worst of the heat began easing in some regions. Paris and 36 other regions from central to eastern and north-eastern France remained under the highest-level heat warning, down from 72 regions on Thursday. Hospitals in the French capital continued to face heavy pressure, with nearly 3,000 people seeking care in public hospital emergency rooms for a second straight day, about a third more than usual. The Paris public hospital authority, AP-HP, said it had activated its emergency response plan across all 38 hospitals. It also said calls to its medical dispatch centres were up nearly 80 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.

Concerns that hospitals could be overwhelmed led to the postponement of the Paris Pride march for LGBTQ+ rights on Saturday, while a three-day music festival was cancelled. The temperatures this week have been higher than those during the 2003 heat wave that was blamed for 15,000 heat-related deaths in France, many of them among older people. AP-HP director Nicolas Revel said he did not expect the same level of deaths this time, at least in Paris hospitals, partly because treatment for overheating has improved. During another exceptionally hot summer last year, more than 5,700 deaths were attributed to heat, according to France's public health authority. Revel said, "I think we'll be situated, clearly, between 2025 and without necessarily reaching the catastrophic level of 2003. But we have to expect that there will still be many deaths."

In the UK, conditions were expected to ease gradually over the weekend, though an amber warning remained in place until Saturday night. The country recorded its hottest June day, with a provisional 37.3 C in eastern England on Friday, more than 1 C above the previous June record set in 1976. Police said on Saturday that the bodies of a 22-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy had been recovered from a lake and a river, taking the number of UK heat-related deaths this week to four. Authorities also warned people to be extra careful while swimming in unsupervised areas after around 40 people died in France over the past week. In Rome, which remained under a red heat alert, tourists sought shade and cooled off at public fountains, while vendors sold bottled water, hats and sun umbrellas. Isabella Dold, a tourist from Kempten in Germany, said, "Gelato, pasta, because it's tradition, but also fresh fruit, and ice cold drinks, that's the best for this temperature." Italy's health ministry said 18 cities, including Venice, Florence, Bologna and Milan, were on red alert because of the heat.

A study released on Friday by World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based group of scientists, said the record-breaking heat and humidity in Europe this week would not have been possible without climate change. The rapid study said such heat would have been virtually impossible five decades ago and is 200 times more likely today than it was 20 years ago. Andre Correa do Lago, president of the UN climate talks known as COP30, said the heat wave had "helped strengthen the perception of urgency of fighting climate change". He told The Associated Press, "The fact that we are living with this amazing heat in London is a strong argument, we need to agree, that we have to take action as soon as possible." Overall, the heat wave left Europe dealing with broken records, pressure on transport and health systems, deaths linked to the weather, and renewed focus on climate change.

With PTI Inputs

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