Germany and Italy slide into heatwave as records fall across Europe | In Europe

Germany and Italy endured sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heat wave linked to many deaths in western Europe spread eastward, after temperatures broke records of more than 40C (104F).

Denmark registered the highest temperature on record on Saturday, according to the Danish meteorological agency. “With 36.6C north of Odense, we have the warmest day since records began in 1874,” said a post on X.

Slovakia confirmed that Friday night was the warmest on record, with temperatures not dropping below 26.3C.

Britain, France, Switzerland and Germany experienced record heat in June, and the weather system could set more records as it heads towards Poland.

Scientists have said the warming would not have happened without human-made climate change, which has made nighttime temperatures this week 100 times warmer than in the past two decades.

“The heat wave will intensify over the weekend with over 40 degrees in some parts of Germany,” said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at the weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.

A German record high of 41.3C was reached near the town of Saarbrücken near the French border on Friday, a spokesman for Germany’s weather service said, noting that readings were still early.

The service issued extreme heat warnings for almost all of Germany on Saturday as authorities urged people to conserve water.

It said temperatures of 36C are expected across the country and local temperatures of 42C are possible.

In France, many young and old people have died during the heat wave. Temperatures above 40C have disrupted train services and power generation, prompted alcohol bans and school suspensions, and led to outdoor events being postponed.

Italy’s health ministry has issued a red alert for the heatwave in 18 Italian cities including Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Genoa, Florence and Bologna on Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures expected to reach 39C in some places.

The French prime minister’s office said that although the heater continues, pressure on the health care system will continue and hospital admissions will last for days.

Reports of forest fires in France are up compared to the same period last year due to extreme heat, officials said.

Some public service providers, grappling with the prospect of infrastructure damage, including bent roads and railway tracks, are seeking to reduce traffic congestion.

Germany’s national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, has offered customers the chance to cancel long-haul bookings early next week free of charge.

The company said its infrastructure is under some strain due to exposure to the sun and increased risk to signals, tracks and overhead lines caused by thunderstorms and wildfires.

Near Hamburg, a major carriageway on a section of the A7 autobahn, one of Germany’s busiest roads, was closed after heat caused the asphalt to split, authorities said.

The start of Milan’s pride march has been delayed to avoid the worst of the heat.

The Ironman European ⁠championship long-distance triathlon, which took place on Sunday in Frankfurt, shortened the cycling and running courses because of the heat, organizers said.

André Berghegger, CEO of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, urged the public to use water sparingly.

“We have to rely on voluntary cooperation as long as possible, local authorities should only issue a ban if that doesn’t work,” he told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper.

The extreme heat is forecast to begin to fade over the weekend, with strong thunderstorms expected on Sunday.

Cultural landmarks have had to be closed across Europe, farming has suffered and some hospitals have struggled to cope.

The heatwave pushed temperatures up to 18C above their seasonal average, according to the Reuters weather monitor, driven by a phenomenon known as an omega block, where hot air is trapped in areas for long periods of time with cooler air at its edges.

Demand for electric fans has increased, and Asian fan manufacturers have reported increased sales in Europe.

Most houses in northern Europe are designed to retain heat rather than resist it.