Temperatures hit record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, with Germany reaching a provisional all-time high of 106 degrees Fahrenheit, national weather service data showed.
The Danish Meteorological Institute reported a new record of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit in Ødum north of Aarhus, Switzerland set 101.8 degrees in Basel, and the Czech Republic saw 105 degrees in the northern town of Doksany; forecasters said the Czech number may still rise.
Germany's Autobahn was overwhelmed as temperatures were expected to hit 104 degrees, and the concrete of the A2 burst in two places outside Berlin, forcing the highway to be closed; other highway damage was also reported across the country.
Train operator Deutsche Bahn and other rail companies advised against all nonessential train travel this weekend. "Germany's transportation infrastructure is being severely affected by the record-breaking heat this weekend," Deutsche Bahn said in a statement.
In the western German city of Dormagen, dozens of residents of a nursing home were evacuated for medical care after the local fire department reported temperatures inside the home had reached 95 degrees Fahrenheit; a resident died overnight, but it was not yet clear whether the heat was the cause, a city spokesperson said. Air conditioning is not widespread in Germany and many countries in Europe because the continent is largely not used to such oppressive heat.
In France, temperatures were easing in some parts but hospitals remained under intense pressure; the Paris public hospital authority said it activated its emergency response plan across all 38 hospitals. The AP-HP authority said Friday its emergency departments treated nearly 3,000 patients in the past 24 hours, over a third more than normal, with a large proportion over the age of 75 requiring hospitalization, and phone calls to its medical dispatch centers were up nearly 80% compared with the same period in 2025. Three-quarters of France was put under a red alert for extreme heat on Thursday and Friday as the mercury topped 104 degrees in some locations, including in Paris.