Europe is facing another day of intense heat, with many areas across the continent breaking highest temperature records again last Saturday, while the death toll from the heat has surged to nearly 400.
Foreign news agencies reported that on Saturday, 27 Jun 2026 GMT+7, record-breaking heat continued in Denmark and the Czech Republic as an unprecedented early summer heatwave spread further north and east across Europe, affecting large numbers of people.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) estimates that about 150 million people in Europe are currently experiencing temperatures exceeding 35°C, warning that this heatwave will have severe impacts on health and ecosystems.
Germany’s meteorological office stated that it broke its all-time highest temperature record for the second consecutive day, reaching 41.5°C in the village of Möckern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany.
This figure surpassed the previous record of 41.3°C, which had only been set one day earlier in Saarbrücken, near the French border.
“This level of heat is not pleasant summer weather but a health crisis,” said Katrin Göring-Eckardt, a German politician and former leader of the Green Party, on the platform X.
In Berlin, police deployed two high-pressure water cannons to spray mist and help cool down the public.
Meanwhile, the Czech Republic’s national meteorological office (CHMI) reported a record high temperature on Saturday, measuring 40.8°C at the weather station in Doksany, north of Prague.
In Denmark, preliminary forecasts recorded 37°C in Odum near Aarhus, breaking the previous all-time high of 36.4°C set in 1976.
Switzerland also broke its record for the hottest June day for the third consecutive day on Saturday, with temperatures reaching 39°C in Basel in the north of the country.
“This extraordinary heatwave is caused by a slow-moving, long-lasting high-pressure area known as a 'heat dome,'” explained Ben Rich, the BBC’s chief weather presenter. “Under this high-pressure system, descending air compresses and warms, causing temperatures to rise daily.”
“Additionally, mostly clear skies allow intense sunlight to further increase the heat,” he added.
This latest heatwave, which began on the Iberian Peninsula, has caused or contributed to hundreds of deaths across Europe over the past week.
Since the heatwave started, drowning deaths in France have increased to at least 55 as people tried to cool off in water, with two-thirds of these occurring in unsupervised areas.
Spain’s public health monitoring system “MoMo” has recorded 327 deaths potentially linked to the hot weather from Sunday, 21 Jun to Thursday, 25 Jun.
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Source:bbc