Eastern Europe Braces for Peak Heat as Temperatures Near 40C

Parts of central, eastern and southern Europe recorded temperatures as high as 38C on Monday as a heat dome shifted east from western Europe. Belgrade reached 38C and Bucharest hit 37C, while Budapest is forecast to exceed 40C on Tuesday. Red warnings for extreme heat were issued across Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Authorities urged residents to stay indoors during peak afternoon hours.

Hungarian authorities published a list of more than 2,000 air-conditioned cooling centres. Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar, posted on X that the two hardest days of the heatwave are coming and called for national unity. Germany recorded its highest temperature for a third consecutive day on Sunday, with preliminary data showing 41.7C in Coschen, Brandenburg.

Tram tracks buckled in several cities, and Berlin police used water cannon to cool crowds.

Officials in France said the heatwave contributed to more than 1,000 excess deaths, while Spain’s institute of health recorded more than 800 additional deaths. In Italy’s Alto Adige region, torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides, with up to 50mm falling in one hour in some areas.

In Ukraine, the energy grid faced rising electricity demand. Emergency power outages were reported in several regions, and the state hydrometeorological centre forecast 35C to 38C on Monday. In Cyprus, police said two Bulgarian boys aged eight and 10 were found dead inside a parked car.

At least 13 people died in swimming accidents in Germany over the weekend.