The most intense heatwave in European history set new temperature records in the eastern parts of the continent on Monday, and according to WHO estimates, is already linked to 1,300 deaths, UNN reports, citing AFP.
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The scorching heat, which initially hit Western Europe last week, has already set records in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany, moving eastward in recent days.
On Monday, Slovakia recorded a new temperature record of 41°C in Turňa nad Bodvou in the southeast, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) reported.
In Ashód, central Hungary, the mercury reached 41.8°C, slightly below the country's absolute temperature record of 41.9°C set in 2007.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar told journalists that the government wants public servants to work from home where possible.
He asked utility companies to postpone outdoor work and called for restaurants to distribute drinking water and for public air-conditioned spaces to remain open.
As the Balkans also expected temperatures up to 40°C, firefighters in Bosnia battled blazes sparked by the heat.
In Ukraine, emergency power outages occurred in some areas. On Tuesday, there will be schedules for outages.
Emergency power outages have begun in Ukraine amid extreme heat29.06.26, 14:06
Temperatures of 35-38°C were forecast, although this is well below the record of 42°C recorded in August 2010.
According to an analysis of AFP forecasts, at least 130 million people in Europe were expected to face heat on Monday with temperatures above 35°C, compared to 190 million on Sunday.
According to recommendations from Climate Watch, issued by one of the regional European climate monitoring centers of the WMO, led by Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD), the heatwave that advanced from the Iberian Peninsula is expected to spread across much of Western, Central, and Southern Europe, as well as the Balkans, by June 30.
This heatwave is the strongest ever recorded in Europe and would be "virtually impossible" so early in summer without climate change, a group of scientists from World Weather Attribution stated.
Climate change fuels extreme heat in Europe - scientists26.06.26, 10:50
According to the UN health agency, more than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded in Europe since June 21, including several children who died in locked cars and young people who drowned in unsupervised swimming areas.
France reported at least 74 drownings since June 18, while Poland reported 17 drownings on Sunday alone.
Amid a cooling trend in France, the national meteorological service said it already expects a new heatwave in July.
The head of the National Federation of Funeral Services, Élisabeth Charrier, said that funeral home occupancy — typically 30 to 45% in summer — has exceeded 66% nationwide, and that funeral homes in Paris are struggling to cope with the load.
Several thousand homes in the Paris region also remained without electricity.