Some 130 million people in Central and Eastern Europe endure temperatures above 35C (95F) as heat records set. Published On 30 Jun 202630 Jun 2026Europe’s deadly heatwave has broken records in the east of the continent, with Czechia and Slovakia recording their highest-ever temperatures, and Ukraine ordering power cuts to deal with the strain.Slovakia recorded a high of 41 degrees Celsius (105.8 degrees Fahrenheit) on Monday in the village of Turna nad Bodvou, southwest of the country’s second-largest city, Kosice.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listCzechia reached 41.9C (107.42F) in Doksany in the country’s northwest on Sunday evening, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said. The previous record was 40.4C (104.72F) in 2021.“Breaking the record by 1.5 °C is absolutely unprecedented,” the institute noted, adding that the “length of the heatwave is also exceptional”.In Hungary, temperatures reached 41.8C (107.24F) in the centre of the country on Monday, just shy of its highest-ever record of 41.9C (107.42F) in July 2007.Prime Minister Peter Magyar warned on Monday that “the two hardest days of the heatwave are coming.” Public sector workers have been told to work remotely, with other employers encouraged to do the same.At least 130 million people in central and Eastern Europe experienced temperatures of more than 35C (95F) on Monday, the AFP news agency reported.In Italy, 22 cities were placed under red heat warnings, as were several regions in Croatia, while the Balkans also remain under extreme heat. Wildfires have been reported in Croatia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina. A man refreshes himself during a heatwave in Chamonix, France, June 25, 2026 [Pierre Albouy/Reuters]Most severe heatwave on recordThe heatwave that started in Western Europe last week has been the most severe ever recorded on the continent. Advertisement More than 1,300 excess deaths …
