Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary swelter through hottest days on record

A woman and her dog walk under a water sprinkler at the Podgorski Square in Kraków, Poland. Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen A woman and her dog walk under a water sprinkler at the Podgorski Square in Kraków, Poland. Photograph: Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary swelter through hottest days on record Heat records of over 40C set as extreme weather spreads east, with more than 191m in Europe enduring 35C or above After decades of warnings, why is Europe so unprepared? Germany, Czechia, Poland and Hungary reached record temperatures of more than 40C on Sunday as a heatwave linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe spread east. More than 191 million people in Europe faced temperatures of at least 35C, with extreme heat warnings across the region. Germany recorded a new all-time high of 41.7C, in Coschen, near the Polish border in eastern Brandenburg, according to preliminary data from the national weather service. This broke the previous record of 41.5C set a day earlier in Drewitz. In Gohrischheide, in eastern Germany, a fire broke out in a forest contaminated with ammunition from the second world war, complicating firefighters’ efforts. View image in fullscreen People cool off under a water curtain in Kraków, Poland, where record temperatures have been recorded. Photograph: Klaudia Radecka/NurPhoto/ShutterstockA major firefighting operation was also paused at a former munitions disposal site near the village of Traisen in south-west Germany. Firefighters had to briefly pause after explosions were triggered and a bomb disposal unit was brought in, the German news agency DPA reported. About 650 people in Traisen had to leave their homes on Sunday because the fire continued to spread. Will tea cool you down? Is it safe to drink beer? How to stay hydrated in a heatwave In Berlin, police sprayed water cannon into the air to help residents and tourists cool off. The German rail operator Deutsche Bahn advised against all nonessential travel. Poland surpassed its all-time heat record with temperatures reaching 40.5C in Słubice, on the Polish-German border, breaking a 105-year record of 40.2C, set in 1921. The Polish government’s security agency sent out text messages urging people to “avoid the sun and strenuous activity”, drink water and wear hats throughout the weekend. Multiple cities set up water curtains to help residents keep cool in the heat. Hungary also broke its all-time record for this date, with 40.7C reported in Budakalász, higher than Saturday’s 40.0C.