Europe live with Jakub KrupaExtreme weather Extreme heat continues in central and eastern Europe with temperatures of 38C expected – Europe live Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary reached record temperatures of more than 40C on Sunday LIVE Updated 5m ago Mon 29 Jun 2026 09.59 BSTFirst published on Mon 29 Jun 2026 08.54 BST Share Key events 5m ago Czech Republic records all-time high temperatures over the weekend 32m ago Berlin police uses water cannons to help crowds cool down as questions about preparedness rise 51m ago Train disruptions reported over weekend as Europe battles heatwave 1h ago France looks into excess deaths caused by heatwave 1h ago Morning opening: It's just too hot People seek relief as heatwave grips Berlin over the weekend.
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images People seek relief as heatwave grips Berlin over the weekend.
Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images Key events 5m ago Czech Republic records all-time high temperatures over the weekend 32m ago Berlin police uses water cannons to help crowds cool down as questions about preparedness rise 51m ago Train disruptions reported over weekend as Europe battles heatwave 1h ago France looks into excess deaths caused by heatwave 1h ago Morning opening: It's just too hot Like much of Europe, the Czech Republic has been grappling with an unprecedented heatwave for the past two weeks, AFP reported.
People are sprayed with water to cool down during a hot, sunny day, as the country records temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in Prague, Czech Republic.
Photograph: Eva Kořínková/Reuters “We have seen the peak of an inflow of very warm air from the southwest so there is no wonder [Sunday’s] records were higher than yesterday,” CHMI said on Sunday.
It added that half of its 171 weather stations registered record-high temperatures on Sunday, while more than 95 percent marked a record for June with many beating Saturday’s all-time highs.
“We still expect hot weather in Moravia and Silesia (east) on Monday.
A waving cold front will bring at least partial cooling to Bohemia (west),” CHMI added.
Prague is expected to see temperatures around 33-34C today, with thunderstorms later on.
Record-high temperatures were also recorded in Germany over the weekend, with reports of wildfires and Berlin police resorting to using water cannons to cool down the crowds.
Police use water cannon to spray people with water as the arrive at the Olympic stadium for a concert of US singer Bruno Mars in Berlin, Germany.
Photograph: Ralf Hirschberger/AFP/Getty Images In Gohrischheide, in eastern Germany, a fire broke out in a large forest that’s still contaminated with ammunition from the second world war, complicating efforts by firefighters, AP reported.
Similarly, a major firefighting operation was underway in southwest Germany near the village of Traisen, where the heat sparked a forest fire in an area that also contained unexploded ordnance.
Some 650 people in Traisen had to leave their homes Sunday afternoon because the fire continued to spread.
People use emergency blankets to protect them from the heat as the arrive at the Olympic stadium for a concert of US singer Bruno Mars in Berlin, Germany.
Photograph: Ralf Hirschberger/AFP/Getty Images Just like in France, the crisis also prompted some tricky questions about Germany’s preparedness as climate change means we should expect more of this sort of heatwaves in the future.
Over the weekend, multiple European train operators reported substantial disruptions as the extreme weather posed all sorts of logistical challenges.
Passengers stand on the platform waiting for trains delayed due to the heatwave at Warsaw Central railway station in Warsaw, Poland.
Photograph: Sergei Gapon/AFP/Getty Images Issues were reported with Czech, German and Polish trains, among others, with stories of stranded passengers, delays running into hours, and overcrowded trains with barely (or not) working AC.
The Czech operator České dráhy even published a helpful social media thread explaining some of the challenges it faced, including their response to the ever-present question of “why is the AC in my train not working properly” (tl;dr: it’s not prepared for temperatures of 40C).
It features this killer line: “You might be surprised to learn that the goal isn’t to turn the train into a freezer.” Worth reading the full thing.
Meanwhile, France is counting the human cost of the heatwave, which began in mid-June and ended (temporarily?) with violent thunderstorms over the weekend, AP reported.
Lightning strikes over the Eiffel Tower during a thunderstorm in Paris, London.
Photograph: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images Public Health France reports a surge in deaths, particularly among older people.
Last week, deaths exceeded 1,200 on Wednesday and rose to over 1,400 on Thursday, AP reported, and Friday, hundreds more than usually.
The authorities expect these numbers to rise as more death certificates are processed, showing the very real and tragic consequences of human-made climate change.
The red extreme heat alert ends today, but the country’s prime minister Sébastien Lecornu will still chair a cross-governmental crisis meeting later today to discuss the events of the last week.
The meeting will also look to draw lessons that could help prepare for any potential future episodes, which, erm, may not be too far out into the future.
Good morning, or dzień dobry, from Warsaw, Poland as the heatwave that affected much of the continent last week continues to impact central and eastern Europe.
Women cools off under a water spray on the Royal Castle Square in Warsaw’s Old Town as thermometers show record temperatures during a heatwave that has reached Poland.
Photograph: Wojtek Radwański/AFP/Getty Images It’s 9am local time and already 32C.
I have seen two people cycling home with large fans, trying to get back before the heat hits the fan again.
None of this is normal.
Czechia, Germany and Poland all broke their all-time records yesterday.
