High temperatures remained in eastern France, Belgium and Germany on Sunday despite overnight rain, with 191 million Europeans expected to be exposed to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during the day, according to AFP news agency calculations.
Temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius have been recorded in several places. In Poland, a record high of 40.5 degrees was recorded in the city of Slubice. In both Germany and the Czech Republic, records were broken for the second day in a row, with 41.7 degrees in the German town of Coshem and 41.9 degrees in the Czech town of Doksany, north of Prague.
Red warnings
As the heat wave moves east across Europe, red warnings for extreme heat have been issued for almost all of Poland, Croatia, all of Hungary, western Romania, southern Slovenia and parts of Serbia.
The World Health Organization (WHO) sees a connection between the heat wave and excess mortality across Europe.
"Hundreds have died, schools are closed, power grids are collapsing. More than 1,300 deaths above normal have been recorded since June 21 linked to the high temperatures in Europe," writes WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on X.
More deaths in France
He points out that Europe is the fastest-warming continent in the world and that “we have been warned”:
“Heat-related ill health is often called the ‘silent killer’ - and European homes, workplaces and schools are not built for these kinds of temperatures.”
Earlier on Sunday, French authorities noted that France has recorded 1,000 more deaths than normal since June 24. Most deaths have occurred among people over 65 years of age and those who live alone.
