Germany set a new national heat record for the second day running on Saturday, with temperatures reaching a preliminary 41.5 degrees Celsius in the eastern community of Möckern-Drewitz, the German Weather Service said.
The previous national record had been set only a day earlier, when the DWD registered 41.3 degrees in the western city of Saarbrücken. That mark was also surpassed on Saturday, with temperatures at the same weather station reaching 41.4 degrees at 3 pm.
The figures remain preliminary and could still be revised by meteorologists. Before Friday, Germany's official heat record stood at 41.2 degrees, measured on July 25, 2019.
Having already broken records in Western European countries earlier this week, the heatwave is now rewriting Germany's weather history.
For example, the country matched its warmest night on record, with temperatures in the south-western town of Bad Bergzabern failing to drop below 26.2 degrees on the nights leading into Thursday and Friday, equalling the mark set at nearby Weinbiet mountain in July 2019.
The extreme heat has also disrupted transport networks. Deutsche Bahn and other German rail companies advised against non-essential travel, warning that infrastructure was under severe strain from the record temperatures.
Road traffic has also been affected. Heat damage has forced closures and speed restrictions on Germany's famed autobahn network in several states.
The DWD warned that severe thunderstorms could develop across northern and north-western Germany on Saturday night and overnight into Sunday.
Temperatures are set to hover around 40 degrees in parts of Germany through the weekend.
The DWD said extreme weather events such as prolonged heatwaves have become more frequent in Germany as a result of climate change, with data showing an increase in the average number of days each year when temperatures exceed 30 degrees Celsius.
