Record heatwave grips Europe, 150 million affected

Germany, Denmark, and the Czech Republic all broke temperature records this week as an estimated 150 million Europeans experienced temperatures above 35°C. The heatwave dominated Sunday newspaper front pages in the UK and contributed to at least four deaths from flash flooding in Kentucky and Indiana as extreme weather simultaneously swept North America. The back-to-back climate extremes — drought-level heat in Europe, violent storms in the US — are intensifying the political debate over adaptation funding ahead of the autumn UN climate talks. Czech stations recorded their highest June temperatures since records began.