June temperature records were shattered across Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands on Friday as a severe heatwave continued to claim lives in Spain and France. To mitigate escalating health risks, authorities have been forced to cancel numerous concerts and public gatherings.
In Germany, a provisional record high of 41.3°C was documented in Saarbrücken, located in the southwest near the French border. France itself has faced a brutal week, enduring three consecutive days of extreme heat; while the peak has passed, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist expressed grave concern regarding the increasing number of heat-related deaths occurring within private homes.
Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organization, emphasized the severe consequences for public health, agriculture, labor, and delicate ecosystems, noting that such extreme weather events are becoming a distressing new norm.
As the heat mass shifted northward and eastward, Belgium reported an unofficial high of 40°C in Kleine Brogel. Similarly, the Dutch province of Limburg recorded 39.4°C, while the UK saw a provisional June record of 37.1°C in Cavendish, Suffolk.
Data from the AFP news agency indicates that approximately 150 million people across Europe experienced temperatures exceeding 35°C on Friday.
The crisis is expected to persist, with Czech meteorologists predicting a possible breach of the 2012 record of 40.4°C on Saturday, and Austrian forecasters anticipating a new national record by Sunday. Extreme temperatures are also gripping the Balkans, with Serbia expecting highs of 39°C over the weekend.
The heat has also impacted critical infrastructure; in Switzerland, the Beznau nuclear power plant was forced to take both reactors offline on Friday after the River Aare reached 25°C, rendering the water too warm to provide sufficient cooling for the reactors.
