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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe heatwave is going to peak at the weekend, well over 40 degrees in some parts of Germany,\u201d said Karsten Brandt, a meteorologist at weather forecasting site Donnerwetter.de.<\/p>\n The Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon taking place on Sunday in Frankfurt shortened the cycling and running courses due to the heat, organizers said.<\/p>\n \t Struggling with the prospect of damage to infrastructure, including buckling roads and swelling train tracks, some major public service providers have sought to reduce traffic.<\/p>\n German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn has given customers the option of canceling long-distance travel bookings into early next week without charge due to the heatwave.<\/p>\n The\u00a0firm said\u00a0its infrastructure is under particular strain because of sun exposure and additional risk to signals, tracks and overhead wires stemming from thunderstorms and wildfires.<\/p>\n Another operator, National Express, said it would suspend trains on its Rhine-Ruhr-Express line on Saturday afternoon in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany\u2019s most populous state, as a preventative measure in case services came to an unplanned halt.<\/p>\n Andre Berghegger, chief executive of the German Association of Towns and Municipalities, urged the public to use water sparingly due to the heatwave.<\/p>\n \u201cWe should rely on voluntary cooperation as long as possible; local authorities should only issue bans if that doesn\u2019t work,\u201d he told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung newspaper.<\/p>\n The most extreme heat is forecast to begin fading over the weekend, with heavy thunderstorms expected on Sunday.<\/p>\n \t Across Europe, cultural landmarks have had to close,\u00a0farming\u00a0has suffered, and some hospitals have struggled to cope.<\/p>\n The heatwave has pushed temperatures up to 18\u00b0C above their seasonal average, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor, and is being driven by \u200ba phenomenon known as an Omega block. This weather pattern traps a bulging ball of hot air over regions for extended periods, with cooler air on its fringes.<\/p>\n Demand for electric fans has shot up, and Asian air conditioning makers have reported a European\u00a0sales boom.<\/p>\n Most of the housing stock in Northern Europe is\u00a0not built\u00a0to\u00a0lower\u00a0heat but rather to keep it in.<\/p>\n The present heatwave will begin shifting by the end of the month, hitting Central Europe and the Balkans, the World Meteorological Organization said.<\/p>\n Scientists said the heatwave would have been virtually impossible without man-made climate change, which has made this week\u2019s night-time temperatures 100 times more likely than they would have been even two decades ago.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\tA worker drinks water as he sets up a stage for the Ironman triathlon in Frankfurt, Germany, on June 25, 2026. (AP Photo\/Michael Probst)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AFP__20260626__B8FX3ZR__v1__HighRes__GermanyWeatherClimateHeatwave-e1782549653378-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tPeople sit at the side of the Dortmund-Ems Canal in Dortmund, western Germany, during a heatwave on June 26, 2026. (Ina FASSBENDER \/ AFP)<\/p>\n
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