A record-breaking heat wave has finally moved on from Germany, with temperatures sinking rapidly as the country experiences a series of storms. Amid these changing conditions, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is preparing to head to Washington to hold talks with his US counterpart, where NATO issues are expected to remain the primary focus.
The extreme heat caused many people to seek relief in lakes, rivers, and outdoor pools, resulting in a tragic number of swimming accidents. According to police reports, at least 15 people have died across Germany since Friday. In one of the latest recorded cases, a 17-year-old was retrieved dead from a quarry lake in Peine, located in the northern state of Lower Saxony, on Sunday. Several additional deaths were reported in the capital, Berlin, and there were also fatalities documented in a number of other western states. Many of these deaths occurred in unsupervised bodies of water, including lakes left over by mining activities, which are considered particularly treacherous for swimmers.
The German Weather Service (DWD) expects the country to see normal summer temperatures once again on Monday, with highs between 25-29 degrees Celsius (77-84.2 F) anticipated across most of the nation. This significant drop follows several days of extreme heat, which saw a record temperature of 41.7 C hit in the eastern state of Brandenburg on Sunday, according to preliminary data. This was the third temperature record set for Germany in three days, following 41.3 C measured in the western city of Saarbrücken on Friday, 41.4 C in the same location on Saturday, and 41.5 C in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt.
A spokesperson for the DWD indicated that June 2026 will now likely rank among the “Top 3” Junes since measurements first began. While the heat wave has ended in Germany and moved on toward eastern Europe and the Balkans, the environmental impact remains clear. Germany has already warmed by 2.5 degrees Celsius (4.5 degrees F) compared to the pre-industrial era, which is more than the global average. Additionally, the World Health Organization reports that Europe as a whole is warming faster than any other continent.
