BERLIN/MILAN: Germany and Italy endured sweltering conditions on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths in Western Europe spread eastwards after temperatures broke records above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).
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 toward Poland.
Scientists said the heatwave would have been virtually 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.
“The heatwave is going to peak at the weekend at well over 40 degrees in some parts of Germany,” said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de.
On Friday, a new German record of 41.3 C 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.
