Intense Heat Waves On Alert: Warnings Activated Across Nearly Entire Germany - Record-breaking temperatures peak across Germany, with weather alerts issued nationwide
The German weather service has issued heat warnings of the highest level, with the extreme heatwave expected to peak on Wednesday. The heatwave, currently at its peak, is affecting regions including North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein.
Temperatures are predicted to reach up to 39 degrees and locally up to 40 degrees, making this heatwave unusual in its extreme nature. The highest temperature ever officially recorded in Germany, 41.2 degrees, was recorded in North Rhine-Westphalia on July 25, 2019.
The heat wave has been gradually moving further north, affecting western and southern Europe for several days. Warnings are issued for storm gusts, local heavy rainfall, and hail in Germany, with the first thunderstorms with severe potential expected in southern Germany as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Thunderstorms are expected to occur along the North Sea coast of Germany, with these thunderstorms spreading from Belgium and the Netherlands to northwest Germany. The weather service will continue to monitor the situation for potential storms and severe weather conditions after the peak on Wednesday.
Experts link the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves across Europe, including the current one in Germany, to climate change. The extreme heat events are becoming more common as global temperatures rise due to human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
The sweltering heat is moving northward from southern Europe, where countries like Italy, Spain, and France are also experiencing severe heat and wildfires. The heat wave is unusually early and intense, with temperatures in southwestern Germany nearing 40°C and many parts of the country experiencing temperatures above 30°C.
The average temperature for June in Germany has reached 18°C, which is about 0.1°C higher than the international average from 1961 to 1990. The heat wave is also exacerbated by reduced rainfall in southwestern Germany and the lack of cooling infrastructure in northern Europe, including Germany, which increases vulnerability to heat waves.
The heatwave is significant enough to prompt health warnings, calls for protective measures in schools and hospitals, and emergency responses due to wildfire risks and extreme heat impacts on the population. The heat warnings are active across most of Germany.
Sources: [1] Deutsche Wetterdienst (German Weather Service) [2] German Federal Ministry of Health [3] European Environment Agency
Weather-forecasting agencies in Germany, such as the Deutsche Wetterdienst, have been actively issuing extreme heat wave warnings across all of Germany. The unusual heatwave, currently affecting regions including North Rhine-Westphalia, Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse, Lower Saxony, Hamburg, and Schleswig-Holstein, is predicted to peak on Wednesday, with temperatures reaching up to 39 degrees and locally up to 40 degrees.
