Extreme weather continues to scorch the continent: Today, temperatures climbed to 38 degrees in Berlin and 40 in Mannheim, asphalt melted on highways and disruptions were recorded on trains. The Netherlands spent an unusual night of more than 20 degrees, residents went to a water war against firefighters - with guns against hoses. More reports of deaths and hospitalizations in the extreme heat in France, Spain and Italy, a huge fire that raged at 28 km / h claimed victims in Catalonia

Ynet and the agencies|

After France and the Mediterranean Basin, today (Wednesday) came

The heat wave hitting Europe

Especially in the north of the continent, which is not used to this kind of extreme weather. The scorching sun and record heat were recorded today in Germany, where temperatures in many areas reached 34 to 38 degrees, and in some places even higher. In Mannheim in the southwest of the country, the forecast for today was up to 40 degrees. Severe heat also hit the Netherlands and Belgium at noon.

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Cooling off in a fountain in Berlin, this afternoon (Photo: Maryam Majd/Getty Images)

Parts of Germany could see heavy rain and hail later this evening. Museum Island in Berlin, today (Photo: John MACDOUGALL / AFP)

The thermometer shows 38 degrees Celsius today in the German capital (Photo: Odd ANDERSEN / AFP)

A moment of cooling off in the heat of Frankfurt, at noon (Photo: AP Photo/Michael Probst)

Frankfurt, Germany (Photo: AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The climate demonstration will be postponed until dark. Berlin, today (Photo: Maryam Majd/Getty Images)

A fire engine participates in fighting a fire in Kleibach, Germany, today (Photo: REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch)

The German railway company Deutsche Bahn has warned in advance that delays and disruptions are expected on several lines, especially in western Germany, where the heat is at its worst. German media reported that asphalt had melted on various highways in the car-loving country due to the intense heat. In a symbolic move designed to highlight the danger to humanity's future, climate activists from the Fridays for Future organization decided to hold their first demonstration after dark, at 10 p.m., to escape the heat. They intend to protest the new Chancellor's plan

Friedrich March

, a right-winger, to increase reliance on gas, one of the energy sources that causes global warming. The hot day could end with particularly severe thunderstorms, hail and wind gusts of up to 120 km/h in northwestern Germany, from Cologne to Hamburg.

The intense heat is also being felt in other countries in the north of the continent. The Netherlands, for example, experienced its first"tropical night" of the year last night, with temperatures exceeding 20 degrees. In the Dutch town of Soest, hundreds of people took to the streets last night to have a water fight against a local fire department to cool off from the heat: the townspeople came armed with water guns, and the firefighters with fire hoses. In Belgium, the Atomium, Brussels' iconic stainless steel structure, was closed in the afternoon due to the heat, and in schools in Wallonia, which have not yet gone on vacation, unlike those in Flanders, teachers tried to cool children's body heat with fans, air conditioners, water games, and breaks in the shade.

Residents versus firefighters, guns versus pipes, yesterday in Soest:

The Water War in Soest: Residents Vs. Firefighters

At a fountain in Brussels. Wallonia schools pinned their hopes on fans and air conditioners (Photo: Nicolas TUCAT / AFP)

Wetting feet in a fountain in Rome, Italy, today (Photo: REUTERS/ Antonio Denti)

On the beach in Marseille, France. Hundreds have already needed emergency treatment due to heat damage (Photo: REUTERS/Manon Cruz)

On the riverbank in Paris (Photo: Thibaud MORITZ / AFP)

A fan sprays water on passersby near the Colosseum, Rome, today (Photo: Antonio Masiello/Getty Images)

Residents of southern Europe are hoping for relief after a June that brought record temperatures and several particularly hot days this week, which once again highlighted the inequality and disparities in dealing with the heat. In Spain, which officially announced yesterday that June was the hottest month ever recorded in its territory, the current heat wave is nearing its end, but forecasters are still predicting 39 degrees in the city of Lleida."Around 3 a.m. you wake up and say, 'How hot!' but we don't turn on the air conditioner because even in middle-class homes we can't afford it," said Julia Munoz, 60, on the Madrid subway this morning.

Smoke rises to 14,000 meters, hottest June in 22 years in France

Last night, a huge fire broke out in Tortuga, Catalonia, which at one point spread at a speed of 28 kilometers per hour – one of the fastest recorded in Europe, according to the authorities – and consumed about 65,000 dunams, including several farms. Two farmers died while trying to escape in their vehicle. According to the fire department, the smoke that rose from it reached a height of 14,000 meters, the highest height ever recorded in Catalonia. The fire brigade had great difficulty controlling the fire, which quickly changed direction, and in the end, heavy rain that began to fall helped them in this.

In France, where about 1,350 schools were closed yesterday due to the heat wave, which brought 40 degrees to Paris, the government announced today that the heat record has passed, but today 34 degrees were still predicted in the capital and 36-38 degrees in Lyon, Grenoble and Avignon. The top floor of the Eiffel Tower, which was closed to tourists yesterday, remained closed today to ensure the safety of visitors. According to France, the month of June that just ended was the hottest June it has experienced since 2003.

In Italy, extreme heat warnings remained in effect for 18 cities today, including Rome, Milan and Florence, where 39 degrees were forecast for today. The intense heat is causing a sharp increase in demand for electricity, which is putting a heavy burden on the grid and periodically leading to disruptions. Yesterday, electricity went out in parts of the ancient center of Florence due to the inability of the electricity company Enel to meet demand.

From Paris to Rome, authorities are beginning to publish data on the health damage caused by the heat wave and the deaths caused by it: France reported that at least two people died following heat-related medical events and more than 300 people required emergency treatment because of it, and in Italy, the emergency doctors and nurses' organization Simeu reported that in large cities such as Milan, Florence, and Naples there was a 10% increase in emergency room visits.

However, it is clear to everyone that these are only preliminary data, and a clearer estimate of the number of deaths from the heat wave will only be available in a few months. After a heat wave that hit Europe in 2003, it turned out that it caused no less than 70,000 deaths, and a heat wave recorded in 2022 caused 61,000 deaths on the continent. The numbers were determined at that time, among other things, based on a calculation of"excess mortality" in relation to corresponding periods in previous years.

Europe is the continent where global warming is being felt most: temperatures are rising at twice the global average, causing extreme heat waves to hit it earlier in the year and last into later months than in the past. According to the World Meteorological Organization, more than two-thirds of the most severe heat waves to hit Europe since 1950 have occurred since 2000.

Scientists believe that this warming is primarily the result of human activities, and that the main cause of climate change is the emission of greenhouse gases. As of last month, the average surface temperature on Earth was 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than in the pre-industrial era, when humans began burning fossil fuels on an industrial scale and emitting such gases. Last year was the hottest year on record on Earth, and it is unlikely to remain that way for much longer.