Heat waves broke records in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic recorded a record high temperature on Saturday, with the weather station in Doksany, north of Prague, reading 40.8C, the National Meteorological Service (CHMI) said.

And forecasters in Denmark say a temporary temperature of 37C was recorded in Odum, near Aarhus. This surpassed the all-time record of 36.4C set in 1976.

Switzerland broke its record for the third consecutive June day on Saturday, with the mercury soaring to 39C in the northern city of Basel.

BBC weather presenter Ben Rich said: “This particular heat wave is caused by a slowly moving area of ​​high pressure, a so-called ‘heat dome’.

“Under the high pressure system, the air is compressed and heated, the temperature rises every day.

“The skies are clear of clouds, allowing the intense sunlight to heat things up even more,” he added.

At least 55 people have drowned in France since the heat wave began. 2/3 of them were swimming in unsupervised areas.

Spain’s momo monitoring system recorded 327 heat-related deaths between Sunday and Thursday.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent – due to a number of factors, including rapid warming of the Arctic and changes in the jet stream.

World Climate Statement Scientists say this level of heat in early summer would have been impossible 50 years ago.

They say climate change is “unequivocally” to blame.

BBC weather forecaster Ben Rich said high temperatures will remain over the weekend until Monday, with temperatures above 40C.

However, cooler conditions in the western part of the continent will sweep east to bring some relief during the week.