Central Europe experienced extreme heat on Wednesday, with both Slovakia and Austria recording their hottest days ever. In Slovakia, temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern part of the country, reaching a new record of 41.4 C (106.5 F) in Kamenica nad Hronom, according to the Slovak Meteorological Institute. This marks the third time this summer that Slovakia has registered record-breaking high temperatures.
Previous records for Slovakia this summer were 41.0 C (105.8 F) in Turna nad Bodvou and 41.3 C (106.3 F) in Kamenica nad Hronom, both set on June 29 and June 30, respectively. These surpassed a 2007 high of 40.3 C (104.5 F) recorded in Hurbanovo. The overnight temperature on Tuesday into Wednesday also set a new record for Slovakia, with the town of Skalica in the southwest registering 28.4 C (83 F).
In Austria, the meteorological service GeoSphere reported an all-time high of 41.2 C (106.1 F) in Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, a town near the Slovak border. This surpassed the previous day's record of 41.0 C (105.8 F).
Earlier this summer, the Czech Republic and Hungary also recorded their highest temperatures on record. Europe has been experiencing an exceptionally hot and dry summer, leading to conditions that have sparked widespread fires, forcing hundreds of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and vacation destinations.
According to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent globally, with temperatures rising at twice the global average since the 1980s.