German highways are buckling under extreme heat as Central Europe sizzles
BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in Germany reported damage to highways and trains on Saturday. Heat wave scorching Western European countries It is moving towards the central and eastern parts of the continent this week.
With temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in Germany, even the country’s famous highway, the Autobahn, was overwhelmed. In two places outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 burst due to high temperatures and the motorway had to be closed. Other highway damage was reported across the country, according to German newspaper Bild.
Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies have advised against non-essential travel on long-distance and regional trains this weekend.
“Germany’s transport infrastructure is severely affected by this weekend’s record-breaking heat,” Deutsche Bahn said in a statement.
In the western city of Dormagen, dozens of nursing home residents were evacuated for medical care due to dangerous temperature conditions in the building.
The local fire department reported that the temperature inside the house reached 35 C (95 F). Air conditioning is not common in Germany and many other European countries because the continent is not used to such sweltering heat.
A city spokesman told the German news agency dpa that a person living in the house died at night, but it was not yet clear whether the cause was the heat.
Hospitals in France are under intense pressure
In France, temperatures began to ease as the heat wave reached its peak in some parts of the country. However, hospitals remained under intense pressure from heat-related emergencies such as heart attack, heatstroke and dehydration.
Inside capital cityThe Paris public hospital official said it had activated the emergency response plan in all 38 hospitals to cope with the sustained increase in activity.
Emergency rooms treated nearly 3,000 patients in the past 24 hours, more than a third of normal, a large number of whom required hospitalization over the age of 75, an AP-HP official said Friday.
It was stated that telephone calls to medical referral centers increased by approximately 80% compared to the same period in 2025.
Three-quarters of France, which covers tens of millions of people, was put on red alert for extreme heat on Thursday and Friday, with the mercury topping 40 C (104 F) in some places, including Paris.
Concerns that hospitals could be overwhelmed led to the postponement of Paris Pride for LGBTQ+ rights on Saturday, and the three-day music festival was also canceled.
Temperatures this week were higher than the historic heatwave of 2003, which was blamed for 15,000 heat-related deaths, mostly among older people. Nicolas Revel, director of AP-HP, said he did not expect so many deaths this time, at least in Paris hospitals, partly because treatment for overheating had improved since then.
More than 5,700 deaths were caused by heat during last year’s exceptionally hot summer, according to France’s public health authority.
“I think we’ll be positioned clearly between 2025 and before it reaches the catastrophic level of 2003. But we still have to expect a lot of deaths,” he said.
Temperatures slowly fall in England after 3 record hot days
Sweltering conditions are expected to gradually ease in the UK this weekend, but a yellow warning (one step below red) remains in force until Saturday night.
Britons have struggled to cope with record June temperatures breaking three days in a row this week. Friday was confirmed to be the country’s hottest June day on record, with a provisional temperature of 37.3C (99F) recorded in eastern England.
The temperature was more than 1 C warmer than the long-standing record for June heat recorded in the summer of 1976 in the UK.
The body of a 22-year-old man who reportedly struggled in the water during the heatwave was recovered from a river, police said on Saturday.
Following the deaths of nearly 40 people in France last week, authorities warned people to be extra careful when swimming in unsupervised areas such as rivers or lakes.
Tourists faint in Rome as red heat alert remains active
In the Italian capital, which was under a red temperature alert, tourists tried to cool off by seeking shade near buildings and putting their heads under public fountains. Street vendors were doing a brisk business selling bottled water, hats and parasols.
Some turned to Italian classics for relaxation.
“Gelato, pasta, because they’re a tradition, but also fresh fruit and ice cold drinks are best in this temperature,” said Isabella Dold, a tourist from Kempten, Germany.
On Saturday, Italy’s health ministry said 18 cities, including the most popular tourist destinations such as Venice, Florence, Bologna and Milan, were on red alert due to the danger posed by high temperatures.
Record temperatures focus attention on climate change
Record-breaking heat and humidity in Europe this week are unlikely to be possible this week, a new study from World Weather Attribution, a collaboration of scientists based in Europe, reported Friday. without climate change.
Quick study revealed that the temperature was nearly impossible just fifty years ago and is 200 times more likely today than it was 20 years ago.
André Corrêa do Lago, head of the UN climate talks known as COP30, said the heatwave “helped strengthen the perception of the urgency of tackling climate change.”
“The fact that we are living with this incredible heat in London is a strong argument; we must all agree that we need to act as soon as possible,” Lago told The Associated Press.
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Hui reported from London and Leicester from Paris. Trisha Thomas contributed from Rome.
