London:
Europe is battling its most severe heatwave on record, with roads melting and tram tracks buckling under intense sun, which is also sending thousands of people to hospital. Shattering historic records, temperatures in several European nations crossed 40°C.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over 1,300 excess deaths had been recorded since 21 June “linked to high temperatures in Europe”. This figure includes several children who died in locked cars and youths who drowned as they sought relief in unsupervised swimming spots.
In Paris, mortuaries and funeral homes have been overwhelmed by a spike in fatalities due to heat-related deaths. France reported at least 74 drowning deaths since June 18. With temperatures cooling in France, the national weather service has said it is already anticipating another heatwave in July.
Record High Temperature
The scorching heat, which first smothered western Europe last week, has already set records in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany as it moved east in recent days. Germany recorded temperatures above 41°C, while the Czech Republic crossed the 40°C mark.
Temperatures crossed the record 38.8°C in Basel in Switzerland as Denmark logged its hottest day since records began in 1874, and the UK recorded its hottest June day on record. Slovakia on Monday registered a new record temperature of 41°C in Turna nad Bodvou in the southeast, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said.
The mercury reached 41.8°C in Aszod in central Hungary, just below the country’s absolute heat record of 41.9°C from 2007. Hungary’s Prime Minister Peter Magyar told reporters the government wanted state staff to work from home where possible. He also asked public services to reschedule outdoor work and requested that restaurants give out drinking water and air-conditioned public venues stay open.
Ukraine’s energy network, already pummelled by Russian attacks over more than four years of war, buckled again under the high temperatures. Authorities enforced emergency power outages as the state Hydrometeorological Centre said the country would face “intense heat”, with forecasts predicting temperatures of 35°C-38°C.
Viral Videos
Several videos have emerged on social media giving a glimpse into people’s struggle as they battle intense heat on the continent. The Nextra TV shared a video on its X handle showing people cooking eggs and bacon within minutes on pans kept outside in the intense sun.
🥵 It’s so hot in Poland that people are frying eggs outdoors
In Warsaw, a woman left a frying pan in the sun and, after a while, cooked an egg on it.
Poland is in the grip of an extreme heatwave, with temperatures approaching 40°C in some areas. On the bright side, you can… pic.twitter.com/YKzKdUZhft
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 28, 2026
Photos and videos from Germany showed roads melting, and tram tracks buckling from their grooves because of intense heat.
🌡 Extreme heat brings all trams in Germany’s Leipzig to a halt
Extreme heat has melted the sealant between asphalt and concrete. It seeped into the tram tracks and hardened, making tram operations unsafe.
All tram services across the city have been suspended until at least… pic.twitter.com/5vOzn7ihNx
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 28, 2026
🥵 Germany is literally melting in the heat
In Leipzig, the extreme temperatures caused the sealant used around tram tracks to melt. It seeped into the rails and track switches before hardening into large clumps.
This is what the record-breaking heatwave is doing to Germany👇 pic.twitter.com/LfbLkCRGml
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) June 29, 2026
Another compilation of videos, reportedly from the Netherlands, showed plastic paint on cars expanding and a shopping cart and shoes melting in the sun.
Are they blaming their PM/President for the weather change? pic.twitter.com/Ixu3nqRud4
— Mr Sinha (@Mrsinha) June 29, 2026
In Berlin, video showed police using water cannons and residents showering in them to cool off.
NDTV could not independently verify the authenticity of the visuals.
