LONDON — German authorities reported buckling highways and widespread train cancellations Saturday as a severe heat wave shifted from Western Europe into central and eastern regions.
Temperatures in Germany were forecast to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). In the western city of Dormagen, dozens of nursing home residents were evacuated for medical care after indoor temperatures climbed to 35 C (95 F). Air conditioning remains uncommon across much of Europe, where infrastructure is not designed for such extreme heat. One resident died overnight, though officials have not yet determined if heat was the cause, a city spokesperson told German news agency dpa.
The country’s famed Autobahn network also suffered. Concrete on the A2 highway burst in two locations outside Berlin, forcing closures, while additional road damage was reported nationwide, according to the daily Bild.
Deutsche Bahn and other rail operators advised against all nonessential long-distance and regional travel this weekend. “Germany’s transportation infrastructure is being severely affected by the record-breaking heat,” the national railway said in a statement, adding that passengers could obtain full refunds on unused tickets.
In France, temperatures began to ease as the peak passed in some areas, but hospitals remained under intense pressure from heat-related emergencies — including heart attacks, heatstroke, dehydration, and fatalities. The Paris public hospital authority (AP-HP) activated its emergency response plan across all 38 facilities to manage a sustained surge in patients. Emergency departments treated nearly 3,000 people in a 24-hour period — over a third above normal — with a large proportion aged 75 and older requiring hospitalization. Calls to medical dispatch centers rose nearly 80% compared to the same period in 2024.
Three-quarters of France, encompassing tens of millions of people, were placed under a red alert for extreme heat Thursday and Friday as temperatures topped 40 C (104 F) in several locations, including Paris. The country recorded its hottest-ever day Wednesday, with the average temperature across 30 weather stations reaching 30 C (86 F).
In the United Kingdom, sweltering conditions were expected to gradually ease through the weekend, though an amber warning — one level below the highest alert — remained in effect until Saturday night. Britain broke its June temperature record three consecutive days this week. Friday was confirmed as the hottest June day on record, with a provisional reading of 37.3 C (99 F) in eastern England — more than 1 C above the long-standing record set in the summer of 1976.
On Saturday, police recovered the body of a 22-year-old man from a river after he reportedly got into difficulty swimming during the heat wave. Authorities have urged extra caution in unsupervised waters such as rivers and lakes, following roughly 40 drowning deaths in France over the past week.