---
title: "Europe's record heatwave pushes east, straining hospitals and power plants"
description: "The heat dome that has scorched Western Europe for a week is shifting toward Germany, Central Europe and the Balkans, where forecasters warn of new records — even as France counts the cost in strained hospitals, drowning deaths and nuclear reactors knocked offline by overheated rivers."
category: "World"
category_url: https://newsparlor.com/category/world
author: "Thomas Berger"
published: 2026-06-27T13:05:00.000Z
updated: 2026-06-27T13:05:00.000Z
canonical: https://newsparlor.com/article/europe-heatwave-spreads-east
tags: ["heatwave", "europe", "climate", "france", "germany", "public-health"]
---
# Europe's record heatwave pushes east, straining hospitals and power plants

The heat dome that has scorched Western Europe for a week is shifting toward Germany, Central Europe and the Balkans, where forecasters warn of new records — even as France counts the cost in strained hospitals, drowning deaths and nuclear reactors knocked offline by overheated rivers.

The extreme heat gripping Europe is moving east. After days of record temperatures in France and the United Kingdom, the worst of the heat is now bearing down on Germany, Poland and Central Europe, with the Balkans next in line as forecasters warn the hardest days for the east are still ahead.

## Records falling across the continent

The World Meteorological Organization said the heat event has now touched [23 countries from Portugal to Romania](https://wmo.int/media/news/records-fall-extreme-heat-grips-europe). France earlier set a new benchmark when Pissos, in the southwest, reached 44.3°C — above the country's previous high from 1947 — and forecasters expect eastern Germany and western Poland to approach 42–43°C in the coming days, levels that would challenge all-time records if confirmed. "Heatwaves like this are what we expect to see in a changing climate," said John Kennedy of the WMO. Germany's weather service issued red-level warnings across much of the country.

## France: hospitals and reactors under pressure

France has borne much of the human cost. Emergency-room visits for heat-related illness rose sharply — to more than 650 on a single day, with most hospital admissions among people over 75 — and several hospital networks activated *plan blanc*, the emergency protocol that lets non-urgent care be postponed, [Connexion France reported](https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/french-hospitals-activate-heatwave-plan-blanc-as-emergency-visits-rise/798228). French authorities had directly attributed three deaths to the heat by June 24, alongside dozens of drowning deaths recorded since the spell began, [according to Al Jazeera](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/24/deaths-disruptions-across-europe-what-you-should-know-about-the-heatwave). Spanish authorities confirmed further heat-related deaths.

The heat also reached the power grid. France's utility EDF [took three nuclear reactors offline](https://www.euronews.com/2026/06/25/france-takes-nuclear-reactors-offline-amid-record-heatwave) — at Nogent-sur-Seine, Bugey and Golfech — after the rivers used to cool them grew too warm to legally discharge into, citing obligations to protect aquatic life. The grid operator said enough capacity remained to meet demand, though surging air-conditioning use briefly cut power to tens of thousands of households.

## Disruption to daily life

Train services in some cities were curtailed to guard against buckling tracks, and schools across the UK closed or sent pupils home early during the peak. National rail operators urged people to avoid non-essential travel in the hottest hours.

## The east braces

In Hungary, where temperatures of around 42°C are forecast, Budapest's Pride march is going ahead despite the conditions, with organizers and opposition figures arranging water supplies for participants. Forecasters expect the heat dome to deliver its peak across Eastern Europe and the Balkans in the first days of July before cooler Atlantic air finally reaches the west. For much of the region — where older housing is poorly insulated and air conditioning is rare — the most dangerous days may still be to come.