Europe again slathered with all-time record heat; Berlin has hottest day on record

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=3065

By: Bob Henson , 6:56 PM GMT on August 07, 2015

Just one month after setting its all-time national heat record, Germany tied that mark on Friday at the same location, as yet another multiway heat wave swept across much of Europe. The German meteorological agency (Deutscher Wetterdienst) confirms that the town of Kitzingen reached 40.3°C (104.5°F) on Friday, the same national record it reached on July 5. According to Michael Theusner (Klimahaus), more than 100 towns and cities in Germany either tied or broke their all-time record highs on Friday. Berlin's Kaniswall station hit 38.9°C (102.0°F)--the hottest temperature ever observed in the Berlin area, beating the old record of 38.6°C (101.5°F).

Record heat extended far across other parts of Europe on Friday. According to international weather records expert Maximiliano Herrera, who maintains a comprehensive list of extreme temperature records for every nation in the world on his website, Friday’s high of 38.3C (100.9°F] at Genoa, Italy, topped the all-time airport record by a full 4°F. Records at the airport extend back to 1962; the previous reporting site for Genoa was located further inland, with a warmer microclimate. Even at that location, the previous Genoa record was 37.8°C (100.0°F) in July 1952. We’ll continue to keep an eye on Europe this weekend, as several nationwide all-time records could be approached or toppled.