Berlin Police Turn Water Cannons Into Cooling Mist as Heatwave Hits 40°C

Berlin police on Monday repurposed water cannons to spray cooling mist as temperatures in the German capital reached a scorching 39.9°C.

The deployment at the Olympia venue marked the second consecutive day that authorities used riot-control vehicles for civilian relief.

The severe heatwave, recorded as the most extreme in European history, is now moving across central and eastern parts of the continent.

Mounting Casualties

The unprecedented temperatures have smothered western Europe, heavily straining hospitals, transport networks, and power grids.

Infrastructure across the continent remains ill-equipped for the extreme weather, exacerbated by a lack of widespread air conditioning.

More than 1,300 excess deaths have been recorded in Europe since June 21, according to the U.N. health agency.

Fatalities include small children trapped in locked vehicles and numerous individuals seeking relief in unsupervised swimming spots.

France has reported at least 74 drowning deaths since mid-June. Poland recorded 17 drownings on Sunday alone.

At least 130 million people in Europe were expected to endure temperatures exceeding 35°C on Monday. This figure marks a drop from the 190 million affected on Sunday, according to an AFP analysis.

Eastern Front Vulnerabilities

As the heatwave shifts east, the Balkans are bracing for temperatures up to 40°C.

Firefighters in Bosnia are currently battling multiple blazes sparked by the extreme heat.

Ukraine is scrambling to prepare its war-ravaged power grid for the weather shock.

Grid operators in at least five regions, spanning from Ivano-Frankivsk in the west to Zaporizhzhia in the south, announced temporary restrictions on energy usage.

The Ukrainian state weather service warned of intense heat, projecting temperatures between 35°C and 38°C.

Systemic Climate Shift

The World Weather Attribution group determined that the severity of this early summer heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change.

All-time temperature records have collapsed across the region. Over the weekend, the Czech Republic hit 41.9°C, Germany recorded 41.7°C, and Poland reached 40.5°C.

Switzerland and the U.K. also set historical temperature records for June. Even as temperatures begin to cool in France, the national weather service anticipates another severe heatwave in July.