Large parts of Germany will be hotter than normal through this week, driving up energy demand for cooling in the region’s biggest economy.
Red alerts for extreme heat were issued for Monday in the south along the Swiss border, as well as in the city of Freiburg. Temperatures in Berlin will peak at 30.5C (86.9F) on Tuesday, according to Maxar Technologies Inc. Meanwhile, the heat wave that gripped Iberia for weeks is finally giving way with temperatures dropping to around 35C for the next few days.
“Widespread hotter-than-normal conditions are forecast this week with much above-normal anomalies forecast to be present at times from central to eastern Europe,” Maxar said in a daily report.
Extreme weather has hit the Northern Hemisphere from the US to China this summer, bringing fires, floods and violent storms as climate change increases the intensity of heat waves. That comes after the world’s hottest ever month in July.
The German meteorological service DWD warned in a social media post on Sunday that heat stress in the east and south will increase on Monday “as the perceived temperature will rise sharply due to the high moisture content of the air mass.” The higher temperatures follow heavy rains in recent weeks, which have raised humidity levels.
Severe thunderstorms accompany the hot weather in Europe, and alerts have been issued across Germany by DWD, with similar warnings for Poland and France.
Scandinavia continues to deal with the aftermath of Storm Hans, whose torrential rain and strong winds left a trail of destruction, including the partial collapse of a hydroelectric dam in Norway. Red alert flood warnings remained in place for the south of the country as people are advised to move what they can away from vulnerable areas.
In Greece, as many as 14 regions including greater Athens, remain on high alert for wildfires. A new blaze broke out on the island of Kefalonia during the night, while another 52 started in the previous 24 hours.
--With assistance from Sotiris Nikas and Carolynn Look.
