New heat records in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. More than a thousand heat-related deaths

On Sunday, a temperature of 40.5°C was recorded in Słubice. According to IMGW-PIB, it is the highest temperature ever measured in Poland. Heat records were also broken in neighboring countries. The World Health Organization is warning of a dramatic increase in deaths across Europe.

Hell across Central and Eastern Europe

The heatwave that has gripped Europe since 20 June has shifted eastward, bringing even higher temperatures. On its Facebook profile, IMGW-PIB reported that Poland’s previous official heat record of 39.5°C (also recorded in Słubice on 30 July 1994) had been broken, along with the historical reading of 40.2°C measured in Prószków on 29 July 1921.

Germany experienced even higher temperatures. The country’s meteorological service, DWD, reported that thermometers reached 41.7°C in the small border village of Coschen near Poland. This broke the national temperature record… set just one day earlier, when 41.5°C was recorded in Saxony.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) also described the weekend as the hottest ever recorded in the country’s history. A record-breaking 41.9°C was measured in Doksany, while overnight temperatures remained above 20°C at nearly half of all weather stations nationwide. “You step outside and it feels like hell,” commented the mayor of the hottest municipality in the Czech Republic.

Will heat records keep being broken?

The World Health Organization reported that since 21 June, Europe has recorded more than 1,300 excess deaths above the statistical norm. These figures are most likely closely linked to the ongoing heatwave. An estimated 381 million people across the continent have been affected by the extreme temperatures.

The June heatwave is the most intense ever recorded in Europe. According to scientists from World Weather Attribution, its arrival so early in the summer is a clear sign of climate change. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X that Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, with temperatures rising twice as fast as the global average.

On Sunday evening, the French meteorological agency Météo-France announced that another heatwave is expected later in July. The long-term consequences of this warming could prove disastrous. According to the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), rising temperatures are already having a clear impact on marine life and biodiversity, while cold-water fish species are disappearing from the English Channel. In Germany, concerns have also been raised about organisms living in the Rhine, Moselle and Saar rivers, as declining oxygen levels in warming water could lead to widespread die-offs.

Storms will follow the heat

Meteorologists across the continent say the heat will ease later this week. However, the change in weather may trigger severe thunderstorms, as already seen over the weekend in Belgium and France. Thousands of households were left without electricity, and a tragic accident occurred near Brussels when a falling tree crushed a man sitting inside his car.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute is already warning of exceptionally severe thunderstorms moving in from Germany, bringing torrential rain, large hail and strong wind gusts. Poland’s IMGW-PIB is also forecasting thunderstorms with wind gusts reaching up to 80 km/h. Local rainfall totals may reach as much as 55 mm, increasing the risk of flash flooding. From Thursday onward, maximum temperatures across Poland are not expected to exceed 30°C.