Heat in Germany and Europe: high temperatures, but no record

Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far in Germany – but without breaking the absolute record. Large parts of Europe have also been hit by a heat wave that is unusual for the time of year.

The German Weather Service (DWD) measured very high temperatures in large parts of Germany on Saturday. The feared record values ​​​​of more than 38 degrees did not materialize.

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), the highest values ​​were measured in the late afternoon at the Waghäusel-Kirrlach stations on the Upper Rhine (Baden-Württemberg) and in Bad Kreuznach (Rhineland-Palatinate). According to the DWD, behind the 37.1 degrees measured there were Möhrendorf-Kleinseebach in the Middle Franconian district of Erlangen-Höchstadt (Bavaria) with 36.8 degrees, followed by Trier-Zewen (Rhineland-Palatinate) with 36.6 degrees and Kahl am Main in the Lower Franconian district of Aschaffenburg on the Bavarian-Hessian border with 36.5 degrees.

Record just missed

On Sunday it could be even hotter in eastern Germany than on Saturday. A DWD meteorologist said that around Jena or Cottbus it could be up to 38 degrees warm.

The German temperature record is still a long way from all these values. According to the DWD, 41.2 degrees Celsius were measured on July 25, 2019 at stations in Duisburg and Tönisvorst (near Krefeld). The values ​​from Saturday are also not record values ​​for June: at the end of June 2019, values ​​of around 39 degrees were measured in several places.

Due to drought, there is still a high risk of forest fires in many parts of Germany. However, the situation with the forest fire near Frohnsdorf near the Brandenburg town of Treuenbrietzen (between Potsdam and Lutherstadt Wittenberg) was considered stable. The fire site was able to be limited, said Raimund Engel, forest fire protection officer for the state of Brandenburg. On Friday there was a forest fire on about 60 hectares, meanwhile it is a good 40 hectares.

A federal police helicopter was to dump fire-fighting water over the area until nightfall. The work of firefighters from several counties is made more difficult because of dangerous explosive ordnance in the area.

According to scientists, the increase in heat waves and droughts is a direct result of global warming. The intensity as well as the duration and frequency of these phenomena are increasing.

Dust probably shielded the sun a bit

According to the DWD, the fact that it wasn’t quite as extreme could be due to the fact that the hot air also brought Sahara dust to Germany, which shielded the sun’s rays somewhat. According to the meteorologists, it should be very hot again on Sunday. UV radiation will also reach high values ​​again.

The first heavy thunderstorms are expected for Sunday night. According to the DWD, there could be gusts of wind at 95 kilometers per hour locally in northern Germany, as well as hail and heavy rain, later on Monday night also in the middle of Germany in a strip from Rhineland-Palatinate to the Neisse.

Record temperatures in France

Several local temperature records were broken in France – the highest was 42.9 degrees in Biarritz. The weather service Météo France spoke of the earliest heat wave since 1947. New temperature records for the month of June were set in eleven areas. Several festivals, sporting and cultural events have been canceled across the country.

Wildfires in Spain

In Spain, which is also affected by the unusual heat, wildfires have been devastating thousands of hectares of land for days. Up to 20,000 hectares were affected in the Sierra de la Culebra in the northwest. 14 towns were evacuated as a precaution. In several other regions, emergency services fought other fires.

The record of this hot period was registered last Friday in Andújar, Andalusia, with 44.2 to 44.3 degrees.

Other countries are likely to be affected as well

In the UK, authorities set new temperature records for the season for the third straight day. In northern Italy, the Po Valley is suffering its worst drought in 70 years, with some communities rationing water distribution. According to the Coldiretti agricultural association, half of the cultivated areas there are threatened.