Forecasts for dangerous temperatures in parts of Europe as heat waves move east | Extreme heat

Parts of central, eastern and southern Europe thawed on Monday as the “heat dome” behind last week’s high temperatures shifted eastward, bringing dangerous conditions to a new part of the continent.

Budapest is expected to top 40C on Tuesday, according to models from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Belgrade and Bucharest reached 38C and 37C respectively on Monday as the heatwave, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe, moves east. Slovakia set a new temperature record, reaching 40.5C in the southern border town, beating the previous record of 40.3C set in 2007.

“The two most difficult days of the heat wave are coming. Let’s show that we know the unity of the whole country. Let’s face each other,” wrote the Hungarian prime minister, Péter Magyar, in X on Monday.

Hungarian authorities have published a list of more than 2,000 air-conditioned cooling centers across the country for people who cannot find relief from the heat in their homes.

Hungary’s energy minister has granted the Paks nuclear power plant a temporary exemption from low-temperature cooling water regulations to prevent further reductions in power output between the heaters, the facility’s operator said.

Red extreme heat warnings have been issued across Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with authorities urging people to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day.

Germany recorded its highest temperature for a third day in a row on Sunday, with preliminary data from the DWD weather service showing 41.7C in Coschen, Brandenburg. The extreme heat disrupted transport in several cities after tram tracks were closed, and Berlin police deployed a water cannon to cool down crowds gathered in public spaces.

In Croatia, the weather service issued a red alert on Monday for regions including the capital, Zagreb, and the tourist resorts of Split and Dubrovnik.

Dozens of firefighters, assisted by four aircraft, battled a wildfire burning through pine forests on the tourist island of Vis in the Adriatic Sea, about 34 miles (55 km) southwest of Split.

“I do the same thing as everyone else – I try to stay in the shade and drink a lot of water,” Susanne, a resident of Vienna, told AFP on the banks of a river near the Austrian capital.

“I just hope that the politicians will understand this situation and will start planning the right way,” he said.

The worst of the heat, however, has started to ease in western Europe after the record breaking temperature. In France, officials said the heat wave has contributed to more than 1,000 800 deaths, while Spain’s health center has recorded more than 800 deaths across the country.

In some areas, bad weather brought strong storms. In Italy’s Alto Adige region, heavy rain has caused flooding and landslides, with up to 50mm falling in just one hour in some areas. Many residents were evacuated from their homes, and firefighters rescued a person trapped in a garage after the river burst its banks near the town of Merano.

Europe’s worst heat wave, the worst and most widespread, can only happen because of a climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning, scientists say.

More deaths were also reported across Europe at the weekend. Two cyclists, aged 30 and 71, died of heatstroke while participating in the Poland Bike Marathon near Warsaw on Sunday. In Cyprus, police said two Bulgarian boys, aged eight and 10, were found dead in a parked car on Sunday afternoon. At least 13 people died in swimming accidents in Germany over the weekend, police in that country said.

Experts say that central and eastern Europe faces a unique combination of heat vulnerability.

Regional cities are often dominated by socialist-era prefabricated concrete blocks designed entirely around, with heavy concrete walls that retain heat and are airtight in summer.

The use of air conditioning in most of the region remains in low numbers, compared to the European average of about 19%, according to the International Energy Agency.

In Ukraine, the battered power grid was facing a sharp rise in electricity demand as temperatures rose. Emergency power outages were reported in several regions during the extreme heat, according to local authorities and electricity providers.

The state’s hydrometeorological center is forecasting temperatures of 35C to 38C on Monday, warning of “severe heat”.

“The heat is also a critical test for equipment that has been operating under war conditions for more than four years and is able to withstand multiple attacks,” said Serhii Kovalenko, CEO of the Yasno power company, over the weekend. “In the coming days, the power system will be working very hard.”

Grid operators in at least five regions – from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to the main Zaporizhzhia in the south – have announced that temporary restrictions on power consumption will be in effect from time to time on Tuesday.

Reuters and AFP contributed to this report