Berlin: Germany has confirmed a new heat record of 40.5 degrees Celsius, as the country swelters under a second day of a heatwave that is sweeping through much of Europe.
The German weather service on Thursday confirmed the 40.5 degrees measured in Geilenkirchen in the country’s western state of North Rhine Westphalia late on Wednesday.
The previous record was held by the Bavarian town of Kitzingen, which measured 40.3 degrees Celsius four years ago. “The sun will shine from morning to evening,” A DWD meteorologist said on Thursday morning, adding that temperatures could exceed Wednesday’s record. “It’s going to be hot as hell.”
Other European countries are also facing unusually high temperatures, with Britain bracing for a new record of 39 degrees on Thursday and France issuing a red alert in Paris for extreme heat. The Netherlands also marked its hottest day in 75 years, with the mercury reaching 38.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
Across Germany, DWD said temperatures will range between 32 and 37 degrees. The only regions where temperatures are not expected to exceed 30 degrees are the northern coastal regions and in areas 1,000 metres or more above sea level.
The mayor of Geilenkirchen, Georg Schmitz, said he would give out free ice cream to his employees at the town hall. “We’ve alreadycalled the ice cream shop,” Schmitz said, adding that he now considers himself “the hottest mayor in Germany.”
Schmitz said the people of Geilenkirchen were having a hard time dealing with the heat, particularly older residents. His personal thermometer registered 47.5 degrees in the sun on Wednesday.
The unusual temperatures across Germany have led the opposition Green Party to call for employees to be allowed to take time off or work from home.
Those who work outside should be allowed to take leave from work “during heat that endangers their health,” according to the Greens’ “Heat Action Plan”.
The plan also calls for people to volunteer to look after older people in their neighbourhood and for doctors to inform their patients on ways to protect themselves from the heat.
According to climate scientists, heat waves such as this are likely to become the norm in the coming years.
“Whether there will always be new records or we just keep getting close to these record temperatures is not yet clear,” Daniela Jakob, director of Climate Service Center Germany, said.
“But if we believe the regional climate models, then temperatures upto 44, 45 or 46 degrees can be expected in the Upper Rhine Plain by the middle of the century.” — dpa
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