health
Dangerous temperatures forecast for parts of Europe as heatwave moves east
Red warnings issued in Hungary, Poland, Romania and the Balkans, with authorities urging people to stay indoors
TL;DR
- Central, eastern, and southern Europe are experiencing dangerous heat as a "heat dome" shifts eastward.
- Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have issued red warnings for extreme heat.
- Slovakia set a new temperature record of 40.5C.
- Germany recorded its highest temperature for a third consecutive day.
- The heatwave has been linked to hundreds of excess deaths in western Europe, with over 1,000 in France and over 800 in Spain.
- Extreme weather also brought violent storms and flash floods to Italy's Alto Adige region.
- Scientists state the severe heatwave is a result of the climate crisis.
- Cities in central and eastern Europe face compounding vulnerabilities due to building designs that trap heat and low air conditioning usage.
- Ukraine's energy grid is bracing for increased demand, with emergency power outages reported.