Germans braced for sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths in western Europe was expected to move east after temperatures broke records ​above 40 degrees. Britain, France, Switzerland and Germany have all experienced record heat in June, and the weather system could test more records as it rolls across Germany towards Poland.In Ireland, Met Éireann said today will be cloudier than previous days with patchy outbreaks of rain in the west spreading eastward across the country through the morning. The rain will become more persistent and heavier at times in the afternoon and evening. It will be cooler, too, with highest temperatures of 17 to 22 degrees generally, warmest in the midlands, east and northeast, and a little cooler near Atlantic coasts. Sunday will be marked by a mix of sunny spells and scattered showers and any dry weather is likely to be found in the east in the morning[ Heatwave declared official on Friday, but temperatures to dip over weekendOpens in new window ]Hundreds of homes, farms and businesses around the country were still without power on Saturday morning following thunderstorms on Friday evening with 450 people without power in Macroom in Co Cork. On Friday, a new German record of 41.3 degrees was reached near the city of Saarbruecken close to the ​French border, a spokesperson for Germany’s National Meteorological Service said, noting the reading was still preliminary.In France, dozens of people both young and old have died during the heatwave. ⁠Temperatures above 40 degrees have disrupted rail travel and power generation, sparked alcohol bans, suspended schools and postponed outdoor events.“The ‌heatwave ‌is ​going to peak at the weekend, well over 40 degrees in some parts of Germany,” said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de.[ The media should treat this heat as the very bad news it isOpens in new window ]The Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon taking place on ⁠Sunday in Frankfurt shortened the cycling and running ​courses due to the heat, organisers said.Struggling with the prospect ​of damage to infrastructure like buckling roads and swelling train tracks, some major public service providers have sought to reduce traffic.German national rail operator Deutsche ​Bahn has given customers the option of cancelling long-distance travel bookings into early next week without charge due to the heatwave.The ⁠company said its infrastructure is under particular strain because ⁠of sun exposure and additional ​risk to signals, tracks and overhead wires stemming from thunderstorms and wildfires.Parts of Germany, mainly in the southwest, have already experienced a much hotter June than usual.The most extreme heat is forecast to begin fading at the weekend, with heavy thunderstorms expected on Sunday.Across Europe, cultural landmarks have had to close, farming has suffered and some hospitals have struggled to cope.The heatwave has pushed temperatures up to 18 degrees above their seasonal average, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, and is being driven by a phenomenon known as an Omega block.This weather pattern traps a bulging ‌ball of hot air over regions ⁠for extended periods, with cooler air on its fringes.Demand for electric fans has shot up, and Asian air conditioning makers have reported a European sales boom.Most of the housing stock in northern Europe is ‌not built to counter heat but rather to keep it in.The present heatwave will begin shifting by the end of the month, hitting central Europe and ​the Balkans, the World Meteorological Organisation said.Scientists said the heatwave would have been near impossible without ​man-made climate change, which has made this week’s night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been even two decades ago. – Reuters