Germany braces for heatwave with highs of 38C

The German Weather Service (DWD) has forecast highs of 38 degrees celsius as a nationwide heatwave begins. Very hot weather is expected to last until Friday, when temperatures in the mid-20s will return.

Heatwave begins across Germany

Temperatures will reach between 30 and 36 degrees across all German federal states on Tuesday, as a nationwide heatwave begins. Hot weather will continue on Wednesday. At 30 degrees, the northern Baltic Sea coastline will see the coolest temperatures. Frankfurt will bear the brunt of the heatwave on Wednesday, with 38 degrees forecast for the German city.

Temperatures will rise yet again on Thursday, with 31 degrees forecast for Rostock, 34 degrees forecast for Cologne, 36 degrees forecast for Berlin, Leipzig and Nuremberg, 35 degrees forecast for Stuttgart and Saarbrücken, and nationwide highs of 38 degrees forecast for Frankfurt.

On Friday, the weather will cool down in the north, with 27 degrees expected in Rostock and 29 degrees in Hamburg and Bremen. But the heat will persist further south, with 36 degrees forecast for Berlin, Frankfurt and Nuremberg, 35 degrees for Leipzig and Dresden and 32 degrees for Munich and Cologne.

During heatwaves, German health authorities recommend drinking between two and three litres of water per day, rescheduling intensive activities for cooler hours and wearing a head covering and high-factor sun cream while outside.

Sunshine and temperatures in the mid-20s are expected to return across the country on Saturday and will continue into next week.

Schools closed and speed limits set on Autobahn due to heatwave

While the school summer holidays ended yesterday (August 11) for children in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, some pupils can now enjoy an extended break thanks to Germany's “hitzefrei” (heat day off) regulations for schools. 

In Saxony and Thuringia, the final decision of whether to send pupils home during a heatwave rests with the individual school, but in Saxony-Anhalt, pupils are sent home if indoor temperatures exceed 26 degrees.

The heatwave will also impact traffic. While there is typically no speed limit on the German Autobahn, temporary speed limits have been introduced because of the heatwave. This is because extreme heat causes asphalt to warp, increasing the risk of traffic accidents.

A temporary limit of 120 kilometres per hour (km/h) for cars weighing more than 3,5 tonnes, and a limit of 80 km/h for motorbikes and heavy goods vehicles is in place on the following stretches:

• The A3 stretch between the Deggegdorf Autobahn interchange and the Hengersberg interchange.
• The A92 stretch between Oberschleißheim interchange and Eching-Ost interchange, between Freising-Süd interchange and Freising-Ost interchange, and between the Landshut-West interchange and the Dingolfing-Ost interchange.
• The A93 stretch between the Saalhaupt and Elsendorf interchange.

These temporary speed limits are expected to remain in place until mid-September.