Central Europe sees record temperatures as heatwave continues

Record-breaking temperatures in Slovakia and Austria as Italy places all of its 27 major cities on highest heat alert.

Central Europe has seen record-breaking temperatures amid a sweltering heatwave, as energy and transport systems across the continent face disruption.

Temperatures in Slovakia reached 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern village of Dolne Plachtince on Thursday, according to the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU). The country’s only nuclear power plant is operating at 80 percent of its capacity as water levels in the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, fall to record lows.

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Neighbouring Hungary also recorded a new overnight temperature record in its capital, Budapest, on Wednesday, with temperatures falling only to 28C (82.4F), underscoring the persistence of the extreme heat.

The landlocked country is also being affected by low water levels in the Danube. Its only nuclear power plant, which usually supplies about half of Hungary’s electricity, is operating at 10 percent of its capacity.

Austria is scorching, too. Its national weather agency reported that temperatures reached an all-time high of 41.2C (106.2F) on Wednesday in the village of Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, near the Slovak border.

In Italy, authorities placed all of the country’s 27 major cities on the highest heat alert on Thursday for the first time this year. Authorities issued warnings to avoid direct sunlight between 11am and 6pm. A 19-year-old tomato picker is among at least four people believed to have died in recent days amid the heat.

Meanwhile, a worsening drought in Germany has forced several companies to transport cargo by road instead of ship, as water levels decline. As a result, fewer goods are being moved, causing prices to rise.

Scientists warn that extreme summer heat could become increasingly normal in Europe as the global climate warms. The continent is warming faster than any other in the world and at twice the rate of the global average. Thousands of excess deaths have been reported across Europe this summer amid a series of heatwaves, with experts warning that much of the continent’s infrastructure was not designed to withstand such heat.