Dangerous temperatures forecast for central and eastern Europe

Passersby cool off at a misting station in Széll Kálmán Square, Budapest. The city is expected to exceed 40C on Tuesday. Photograph: Zsolt Szigetváry/EPA View image in fullscreen Passersby cool off at a misting station in Széll Kálmán Square, Budapest. The city is expected to exceed 40C on Tuesday. Photograph: Zsolt Szigetváry/EPA Dangerous temperatures forecast for central and eastern Europe Red warnings issued as record-breaking heatwave pushes east, with authorities urging people to stay indoors Parts of central, eastern and southern Europe sweltered on Monday as the “heat dome” behind last week’s record-breaking temperatures shifted east, bringing dangerous conditions to a new swathe of the continent. Budapest is forecast to exceed 40C on Tuesday, according to models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Belgrade and Bucharest reached 38C and 37C respectively on Monday as the heatwave, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe, moved east. European heatwave is worst ever and impossible without climate crisis, scientists say Read more “The two hardest days of the heatwave are coming. Let’s show that we are capable of complete national unity. Let’s look out for each other,” Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar, wrote on X on Monday. Hungarian authorities published a list of more than 2,000 air-conditioned cooling centres across the country for people unable to find relief from the heat in their homes. Red warnings for extreme heat have been issued across Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, with authorities urging people to stay indoors during the hottest hours of the day. Germany recorded its highest temperature for a third consecutive day on Sunday, with preliminary data from the DWD weather service showing 41.7C in Coschen, Brandenburg. The extreme heat disrupted transport in several cities after tram tracks buckled, while Berlin police deployed water cannon to cool crowds gathering in public spaces. The worst of the heat has, however, begun to ease in western Europe after temperature records were shattered. In France, officials said the heatwave had contributed to more than 1,000 excess deaths, while Spain’s institute of health recorded more than 800 additional deaths nationwide. Elsewhere, the extreme weather brought violent storms. In Italy’s Alto Adige region, torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides, with up to 50mm falling in just one hour in some areas. Several residents were evacuated from their homes, while firefighters rescued a person trapped in a garage after a river burst its banks near the town of Merano. The heatwave scorching Europe , the most severe and widespread ever, is only possible due to the climate crisis driven by fossil fuel burning , scientists have said. Fresh tragedies were also reported across Europe over the weekend. Two cyclists, aged 30 and 71, died, apparently due to the heat, while taking part in a Poland Bi