Germany saw new all-time temperature highs recorded over the previous weekend across three consecutive days. On Friday extreme heat pushed the mercury to 41.3C in Saarbrücken. On Saturday, temperatures rose to 41.5C in Möckern-Drewitz in Saxony-Anhalt. Then on Sunday, that record was immediately broken again when the high temperature hit 41.7C in Brandenburg, near the Polish border. So Germany’s hottest temperature ever recorded was exceeded not once but repeatedly over a single weekend. The previous nationwide record was 41.2C, and was measured in 2019. At
the same time, a new nationwide night-time record was set. In Kubschütz, Saxony, temperatures did not drop below 29.4C from Saturday evening until Sunday morning. This was more than two degrees higher than the previous record of 27.2C from 2003. READ ALSO: More than 1,300 excess deaths recorded in Europe heatwave, WHO The above figures, recorded by the German Weather Service (DWD), are provisional for now but are expected to be confirmed after data quality checks. City centres and streets across Germany felt deserted during
the hottest parts of the day as people retreated to shaded zones, pools and lakes, and air-conditioned venues and cool places. But what may have felt like a strange stillness in parts of the country was experienced as disruption, danger and strain in other places as the record temperatures saw emergency services overloaded and infrastructure damaged. Public transport under pressure Transport services struggled to cope with the conditions. Deutsche Bahn advised passengers to avoid non-essential travel over the weekend. The warning proved justified. On Saturday
evening, more than 600 passengers were stranded on a train in Brandenburg after a storm caused a tree to fall onto an overhead power line. Without electricity, air conditioning and ventilation failed and interior temperatures on the train rose to around 40C. Emergency services had to evacuate vulnerable passengers, and several people were taken to hospital with circulation problems. Local transport also suffered. In Leipzig, tram services were suspended because extreme heat caused materials in the tracks to melt and clog switching systems, making safe
operation impossible. In Nuremberg, trams stopped running because the road surface itself had softened under the heat. Major delays were also widespread among Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services. READ ALSO: IN NUMBERS – Yes, summers in Germany really are getting hotter Roads cracking under the heat It wasn’t just rails that struggled – German roads and the Autobahn also began to fail in places. Across the country, extreme temperatures caused concrete slabs to expand, buckle and crack. Sections of major motorways, including the A2 and A7,
had to be closed or restricted. In some places, the asphalt surface peeled away entirely. Traffic jams built up quickly, leaving drivers stuck for long periods in searing heat. In some cases, emergency services had to assist people caught in queues. On the A8 in Bavaria, the problem took a different form. The motorway had to be completely closed because of smoke from a nearby wildfire on Monday morning. Forest fires The combination of heat and drought led to multiple forest fires across Germany. One
of the most serious incidents occurred near Traisen in Rhineland-Palatinate, where around 600 residents had to be evacuated as a fire burned. The situation was made more dangerous by unexploded World War II munitions in the ground, which limited access for firefighters. Fires also broke out in Saxony, Brandenburg and Bavaria. In some regions, thousands of square metres of forest burned. Even where flames were brought under control, the ground remained dangerously hot, with a risk of new fires starting. Overcrowded pools and deadly waters
As temperatures soared above 40C, many sought relief in water – sometimes with tragic consequences. At least 13 people died in swimming accidents across Germany over the weekend, including children. There were reports of a sharp rise in such incidents as more people entered rivers, lakes and canals. Outdoor swimming pools in Berlin and other cities quickly reached capacity. By Sunday morning, tickets had already sold out, after pools had been full the day before. Long queues formed and people were turned away. READ ALSO:
Freibad – The etiquette rules you need to know for Germany’s outdoor pools Events disrupted and emergency services stretched The heat forced organisers to rethink or cancel events across the country. At an Ironman event in Frankfurt, distances were reduced to protect participants from the risk of heat exhaustion. In Berlin, an international hockey match had to be broken into shorter segments because of the extreme temperatures – with players openly criticising the conditions. At the same time, emergency services were under exceptional pressure. In
Cologne, ambulance services were operating at full capacity, with additional vehicles deployed. Dresden recorded its busiest day of the year with more than 300 emergency calls. In Berlin, firefighters handled around 2,050 calls in a single day – roughly 500 more than the usual average – many linked to heat-related symptoms such as dizziness and circulatory problems. Water consumption also surged. In Hamburg, daily drinking water use reached its highest level of the year, as people tried to stay hydrated and cope with the heat.
Firefighters also faced unusual incidents. In one case, a gas tank had to be deliberately emptied because high temperatures repeatedly triggered its safety valve, releasing gas into the surrounding area. Experts warn that such extreme events are becoming more likely. According to ARD’s climate expert Claudia Reiser, heatwaves of this intensity would have been virtually impossible just 50 years ago.
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