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Amidst the ongoing extreme heatwave in Berlin, Germany, a digital billboard in the Mitte district displays a temperature of 41 degrees Celsius on the 27th (local time). / Courtesy of Reuters-Yonhap News

The heatwave that blanketed Western Europe has moved into Northern and Central Europe, breaking all-time high temperature records across the entire European continent.

As record-breaking high temperature phenomena were observed even in Northern European countries—which are known to have relatively cool summer temperatures—consecutive damages are occurring, such as transport infrastructure being paralyzed and patients with heat-related illnesses emerging in large numbers, AP and Reuters reported on the 27th (local time).

The Danish Meteorological Institute announced that the temperature in the Odum region north of Aarhus recorded 37 degrees Celsius, displaying the highest temperature since observations began in 1874.

In Basel, Switzerland, the temperature soared up to 38.8 degrees Celsius, shattering the all-time high record, and Doksany in northern Czechia also ground down the previous high by recording 40.8 degrees Celsius.

In Germany, where the heatwave hovering near 40 degrees Celsius continued, transport infrastructure sustained a severe blow. On the outskirts of Berlin, concrete bridge decks on the autobahn ruptured due to thermal expansion, completely closing off some sections. Deutsche Bahn, the German state-owned railway, advised passengers to refrain from train travel as much as possible to prepare against the possibility of track deformations and train disruptions caused by the heatwave.

In Europe, where the penetration rate of air conditioners in general households and public facilities is low, damage to vulnerable groups following the temperature rise is becoming prominent. At a nursing hospital in Dormagen, western Germany, dozens of people evacuated urgently as the internal temperature rose up to 35 degrees Celsius. Authorities are investigating a direct correlation with the heatwave regarding one deceased person who occurred within the nursing home.

France, which has already passed the peak of the heatwave, is also suffering from aftereffects. Amidst heatwave red alerts being maintained in 37 regions including Paris, public hospital authorities in Paris entered emergency response mode. Outdoor events such as the Paris Pride March and large-scale music festivals were also canceled or postponed one after another.

Meteorological experts are pointing to the "Omega Block" phenomenon—where the upper atmosphere forms a massive blocking high-pressure system—as the core cause of this heatwave.

World Weather Attribution (WWA), a Europe-based organization of scientists that identifies the causes of extreme climate phenomena, analyzed through a report that this level of extreme heatwave and humidity across Europe is virtually impossible to occur without human-induced climate change. The report pointed out that this type of climate change has seen its probability of occurrence increase by approximately 200-fold compared to 20 years ago.

                                                                                                         Lee Jeong-eun