Wednesday, June 26, was the hottest June day ever recorded in Germany. With the extreme temperatures causing forest fires, travel disruption and some rather strange behaviour, experts warn that the worst is not over yet. 

New June temperature record in Germany

A new record was set on Wednesday afternoon when the thermometer in Coschen in Brandenburg, near the Polish border, hit a scorching 38,6 degrees. The same temperature was also recorded in Bad Muskau in Saxony. 

The reading broke a 70-year-old record of 38,5 degrees, that was recorded in Bühlertal in Baden-Württemberg in 1947. The prediction that Germany’s all-time heat record of 40,3 degrees might be broken did not, however, come to fruition. 

It’s going to get hot again

However, according to the latest weather reports, we are not over the hump yet. Meteorologists say that the heatwave, caused by a bank of hot air drifting over Europe from Africa, is likely to last until at least the end of the week. After a slight cooling off on Thursday and Friday, the sun is expected to beat down with renewed force over the weekend. 

The German Weather Service (DWD) predicts that the weather in Germany on Saturday will be hot and dry, with lots of sun and hardly any clouds. The temperature will climb to between 29 and 36 degrees, with the highest temperatures expected in the eastern areas around Berlin and Brandenburg. It will be cooler in the coastal and mountain regions - around 24 to 29 degrees. 

Sunday will also be sunny and dry, with highs between 32 and 38 degrees. Thankfully, however, from the start of next week, things will start to cool off, especially in the north of the country. Highs of around 30 to 34 degrees are expected in the southern and eastern federal states, with much cooler temperatures at night. 

Heatwave causes travel disruption in Germany

As well as forcing people to resort to rather unusual measures to keep cool, the heat has been causing all kinds of disruption around Germany: on a stretch of railway near the popular tourist destination Rostock on the Baltic Coast, repairs are underway after the sweltering heat caused the rail tracks to bend out of shape. 

The fire service is continuing to tackle 130 hectares of forest fires in Brandenburg, while the German police have also imposed temporary speed limits on certain sections of Germany’s famous autobahn, fearing that the intense heat could cause the road’s surface to crack and buckle. 

Problems with water

In several areas around Hannover, including Emsland and Osnabrück, a shortage reportedly led to the water being temporarily cut off. The local water supply company is imploring people to save water for drinking, rather than for tending to lawns.   

Desperate to escape the heat, Germany’s residents have been flocking to outdoor swimming pools, lakes and rivers. While some women in Munich clashed with local authorities over topless sunbathing, a chlorine miscalculation at a pool in Reiskirchen-Ettingshausen led to 38 bathers being treated for respiratory problems and skin irritations.