Europe's Deadly Heatwave Moves East, Slovakia Sets New Record

A powerful heatwave swept across eastern Europe on Monday, breaking temperature records in several countries. Slovakia hit its highest temperature ever, and Ukraine was forced to cut electricity to homes and businesses because the heat was too much for its power grid to handle. Scientists say this is the worst heatwave Europe has ever recorded, and they warn that climate change made it possible.

Slovakia set a new national heat record on Monday when the temperature reached 41°C in a town called Turna nad Bodvou in the southeast. The Slovak weather service officially confirmed the record. Just across the border in Hungary, the city of Aszod hit 41.8°C, which is just barely below Hungary's all-time record of 41.9°C set back in 2007. Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar asked government workers to work from home, told outdoor workers to reschedule their tasks, and requested that restaurants hand out free drinking water.

Ukraine's power system was already weakened by more than four years of Russian attacks during the ongoing war. When extreme heat hit the country, the system could not keep up, and officials ordered emergency power cuts for homes and businesses. Temperatures between 35°C and 38°C were expected across Ukraine. Sergii Kovalenko, the head of the Yasno energy company, explained that summer is usually the time when workers fix the power grid after winter attacks — meaning the system was already being pushed to its limits.

The heatwave had already broken records in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany before moving east. In the Balkan region, temperatures were expected to reach up to 40°C, and firefighters in Bosnia were battling wildfires that broke out because of the dry, intense heat. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group said this heatwave would have been 'virtually impossible' this early in the summer without climate change. Their findings point to the serious role that rising global temperatures are playing in making extreme weather events worse.

The human toll from the heatwave has been severe. The United Nations health agency said more than 1,300 extra deaths had been recorded across Europe since June 21. Among those who died were children who were trapped in hot, locked cars and young people who drowned while trying to cool off in rivers and lakes without lifeguards. France alone reported at least 74 drowning deaths since June 18, and Poland said 17 people drowned in a single day on Sunday.

At its peak, about 190 million people across Europe were dealing with temperatures above 35°C. By Monday, that number had dropped to around 130 million, according to an analysis of weather forecast data. In France, temperatures were starting to cool down, but the country's weather service said it was already watching for another possible heatwave in July. The head of France's National Funeral Federation said that funeral homes in Paris were so overwhelmed they could not keep up with the number of deaths.

Even as the heat caused so much suffering, some people tried to find ways to cope. Susanne, a woman living in Vienna, Austria, told reporters she was staying in the shade and drinking plenty of water near a local river. Vienna hit a record high of 40°C on Sunday. She also said she hoped that political leaders would take the situation seriously and begin making changes. Her words reflected what many people across Europe were feeling — a mix of exhaustion, worry, and a desire for action.