Germany sets new all-time record of 41.5°C as Europe heatwave researchers call worst ever recorded
Germany's Drewitz station logged 41.5°C on June 27, a new national record breaking the previous day's mark; Washington Post and CNN cite researchers calling the event the worst European heatwave ever recorded; heat moved into Poland and the Czech Republic
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Germany's Drewitz station recorded 41.5°C, a new all-time national record breaking the previous day's mark of 41.3°C at Saarbrucken; heat shifted into eastern Germany, Poland and Czech Republic; Switzerland, Denmark also logged national records. Researchers describe the 2026 European heatwave as the worst ever recorded. ↗
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Confirmed heat deaths: Spain ~212, France 58; Netherlands issued its fourth-ever KNMI level 10 heat alert; France had 50,000 customers without power after transformer failures on June 26. ↗
Summary
Germany set a new all-time national temperature record of 41.5°C at the Drewitz station on June 27, breaking the previous day's mark of 41.3°C at Saarbrucken. Switzerland, Denmark and the Czech Republic also recorded national highs during the same window. Researchers described the June 2026 European heatwave as the worst ever recorded on the continent, with attribution studies finding it "virtually impossible" without climate change. The heat dome shifted eastward into Poland and eastern Germany on June 27, with temperatures of 42-43°C forecast across that corridor. On June 26, France remained under red alert in 72 of its 96 departments, with hospitals reporting a four-fold increase in heat ER visits and 40 drowning deaths in one week. Paris Pride was postponed. Spain reported around 212 confirmed heat deaths; France 58. The WMO confirmed around 150 million Europeans experienced temperatures above 35°C on June 26.
Why it matters
The eastward expansion means the first wave of extreme heat in western Europe is followed by a second episode in the Balkans, with less preparation time, fewer cooling centres, and older housing stock. French hospital data showing a four-fold jump in heat ER visits and 44 cardiac arrests in Paris in one 24-hour period is the most direct signal yet that the health system is absorbing casualties the official death count will lag by weeks. The WMO's unequivocal climate attribution closes the scientific case on what is driving the event.
What to watch
- Balkan hospital reporting: Greece, Serbia and Turkey have less heat-emergency infrastructure than western Europe.
- UK temperature peak on June 26-27 and whether the third red warning results in excess mortality on a scale comparable to July 2022.
- When the heat dome breaks, and whether forecasts confirm a possible third episode in early July.