Extreme heat spreads toward Eastern Europe, with temperatures expected to exceed 40°C

The heatwave that has been linked to hundreds of deaths in Western Europe is moving eastward, as Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia prepare for record temperatures above 40°C.

On Sunday, more than 191 million people in Europe were exposed to temperatures of at least 35°C, while extreme heat warnings were issued for Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary.

In Poland, the national record of 40.2°C, set in 1921, could be broken on Sunday.

Poland’s Government Security Centre sent text messages to citizens, urging them to “avoid the sun and strenuous activities,” drink water and wear hats throughout the weekend. In many cities, water mist stations were also set up to help residents cope with the heat.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said temperatures in some areas were expected to exceed 41°C.

On Saturday, the Czech Republic recorded an all-time high of 40.6°C. Overnight, temperatures at more than 100 weather stations did not fall below 20°C. However, according to the institute, Sunday was expected to be even hotter.

Authorities said that “yesterday’s record will certainly be broken again.” According to them, by Sunday evening other records were also expected to be broken, this time for the warmest night.

Germany also saw overnight temperature records broken, with Bautzen in eastern Saxony reporting a nighttime low of 29.4 degrees Celsius. On Saturday, Berlin police used water cannons to cool residents of the capital and warned that they would repeat the same operation on Sunday. Meanwhile, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn advised avoiding all non-essential travel during the weekend.

In Slovakia, temperatures above 39 degrees Celsius were recorded in the southwest of the country, while the historic record of 40.3 degrees Celsius, set in 2007, is likely to be broken on Sunday or Monday. Forecasts also show that the country may experience, for the first time since records began in 1871, three consecutive days with temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius.

On Saturday, Denmark recorded its highest temperature since measurements began in 1874, with 36.6 degrees Celsius north of Odense.

At the same time, France has begun counting the victims of this heatwave.

France’s national public health agency said that from June 24 to June 27, 1,000 additional deaths were recorded compared with figures from previous months. These data are provisional and are expected to rise significantly. According to the agency, the largest increase in deaths was linked to people who died at home, especially in the Île-de-France region, which includes Paris and its surrounding suburbs. Most of the victims were over 65 years old, but younger people were also affected.

“This serves as a reminder of the need for solidarity measures toward people who are isolated or experiencing deep loneliness, including in highly urbanized areas,” the health agency said in a statement.

Philippe Juvin, an emergency doctor and lawmaker from the right-wing Les Républicains party, said the final death toll in France would be very high. He said on Sunday that it is likely there are still people in their homes in a coma, or dead, who may not be discovered until next week. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said hospitals and emergency services would continue to be under pressure in the coming days.

Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens, said that “light must be shed” on the “very high number of deaths” and that political decisions must be taken to act in the face of the climate crisis.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that during the hottest period of the heatwave, ambulance services responded to more than 122,000 calls.

From Spain, preliminary data showed at least 327 deaths that may be linked to the heat, in the period from last Sunday to Thursday.

A wide area of northern France also faced severe thunderstorms and strong winds, which caused several injuries. Emergency services responded to fallen trees on roads and flooded homes.

In the Aisne area, lightning sparked several fires, including one in Laon, where five people were injured. The storms also caused power outages, leaving more than 60,000 homes without electricity on Sunday morning.