Dangerous temperatures forecast for parts of central and eastern Europe as heatwave moves east

Parts of central, eastern and southern Europe experienced very hot weather on Monday. The “heat dome”, which caused record temperatures last week, has now moved east, bringing dangerous conditions to new areas.

Budapest is expected to go over 40C on Tuesday. In Belgrade and Bucharest, temperatures reached 38C and 37C on Monday. The heatwave has already been linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe.

Slovakia set a new temperature record, reaching 40.5C. The previous record was 40.3C in 2007. Hungary’s prime minister asked for national unity and for people to look out for each other during the hottest days of the heatwave.

Hungarian authorities have opened more than 2,000 cooling centres with air conditioning for people who cannot stay cool at home. The country's energy minister allowed the Paks nuclear power plant to temporarily ignore rules about cooling water temperatures to avoid cuts in its power output.

Red warnings for extreme heat have been issued in Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Officials are advising people to stay inside during the hottest parts of the day.

Germany recorded its highest temperature for the third day in a row on Sunday, reaching 41.7C. The extreme heat caused problems with transport as tram tracks buckled in some cities. Berlin police used water cannons to cool down people in public areas.

In Croatia, a red alert was issued for areas including the capital, Zagreb, and the popular tourist spots of Split and Dubrovnik. Firefighters were battling a wildfire in pine forests on the island of Vis.

While western Europe has seen some relief from the worst heat, the problem is shifting east. In France, officials reported over 1,000 extra deaths linked to the heatwave. In Spain, more than 800 additional deaths were recorded.

Elsewhere, extreme weather brought storms. In Italy, heavy rain caused flash floods and landslides in the Alto Adige region. Several people had to leave their homes, and firefighters rescued someone trapped in a garage.

Scientists say that this severe heatwave across Europe is made possible by the climate crisis, which is caused by burning fossil fuels.

More deaths were reported across Europe over the weekend. Two cyclists died in Poland, apparently due to the heat, during a marathon event. In Cyprus, two young boys were found dead inside a parked car. At least 13 people died in swimming accidents in Germany.

Experts point out that cities in central and eastern Europe are particularly vulnerable to heat. Many buildings from the socialist era have heavy concrete walls that trap heat and lack ventilation. Air conditioning is used much less in this region compared to the European average.

In Ukraine, the energy grid was preparing for a big increase in electricity demand due to the heat. Emergency power cuts happened in several regions. The head of the energy company Yasno stated that the power system will be under a lot of strain in the coming days, especially as the equipment has already been working under difficult conditions due to the war.