New temperature records set in Central Europe
Germany, Czech Republic, and Poland recorded new all-time high temperatures on Sunday, June 28, with mercury exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.
New heat records were set across Central Europe on Sunday, June 28. In Germany, the German Meteorological Service (DWD) reported a provisional new record of 41.7 degrees Celsius at the Koschen weather station in eastern Brandenburg near the Polish border around 4:00 p.m. local time. This broke the previous record of 41.5°C set just a day earlier in Drewitz.
The Czech Republic also saw its second temperature record in two days. In Doksany, north of Prague, the temperature reached 41.1°C, according to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI). CHMI noted this was the first time 41°C had been recorded in its official station network, adding that temperatures were still rising. On Saturday, the same location hit 40.9°C, surpassing a 14-year-old record.
Like much of Europe, the Czech Republic has been enduring an unprecedented heatwave for two weeks. The heat was expected to peak on Sunday, with severe thunderstorms forecast for the western part of the country in the evening. Two stations recorded 40°C by early afternoon, two hours earlier than on Saturday.
In the morning, CHMI issued a smog warning for Prague and its surroundings due to elevated ground-level ozone caused by the heat. People, especially those with chronic respiratory conditions, the elderly, and children, were advised to avoid physical exertion.
Poland also set a new temperature record: in Slubice, in the western part of the country, the temperature reached 40.5 degrees Celsius.
