Temperatures hit record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic, Germany and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that baked western European countries this week moves to central and eastern parts of the continent. Unusually high temperatures were recorded even in the Nordic countries not known for sweltering summers. The Danish Meteorological Institute reported a new record of 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) in Ødum north of Aarhus – the warmest day since records began in 1874. In Switzerland, a record of 38.8 C (101.8 F) was set in the city of Basel. And Germany marked a new high of 41.5 C (106.7 F), in Möckern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt, according to preliminary data by the German Weather Service. The previous record was set a day earlier. The country's famous Autobahn was overwhelmed, too, as temperatures were expected to hit 40 C (104 F). In two places outside Berlin, the concrete of the A2 burst due to the high temperatures and the highway had to be closed. Other highway damage was also reported across the country, according to German daily Bild. Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies advised against all nonessential travel train travel this weekend.