Temperatures in Central Europe rose to extreme levels again on Wednesday, resulting in both Slovakia and Austria achieving their hottest days on record.
For Slovakia, this marked the third time this summer that temperatures reached a record high. The country's south recorded temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the latest heat wave. The Slovak Meteorological Institute reported a new record of 41.4 C (106.5 F) in Kamenica nad Hronom, southern Slovakia.
Previous records were established on June 29 and June 30, with temperatures reaching 41.0 C (105.8 F) in Turna nad Bodvou and 41.3 C (106.3 F) in Kamenica nad Hronom. This surpassed a 2007 high of 40.3 C (104.5 F) recorded in Hurbanovo.
The night transitioning from Tuesday to Wednesday was also the hottest on record, registering 28.4 degrees Celsius (83 F) in Skalica, southwestern Slovakia.
In Austria, the all-time high of 41.2 C (106.1 F) was measured in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, near the Slovak border. This surpassed a previous day's record of 41.0 C (105.8 F), according to the GeoSphere meteorological service.
The Czech Republic and Hungary had also recorded their all-time highs earlier this summer.
This year, Europe has endured an exceptionally hot and arid summer, characterized by sweltering conditions that have led to unprecedented fires, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate homes and vacation spots.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the continent is the world's fastest-warming region, with temperatures increasing at twice the rate of the global average since the 1980s.