Intense Heat to Return to Paris, Madrid; Berlin, Warsaw Next

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

July 2,2015; 10:35PM,EDT

 

After intense heat eased some for Thursday, it will once again bake Spain and France to close out this week and expand into Germany and Poland this weekend.
A ridge of high pressure will remain the culprit for the heat that will build back across western Europe on Friday before spreading into central Europe this weekend.
While falling short of repeating Wednesday's extreme high, Paris will once again endure temperatures soaring to around 35 C (95 F) Friday and Saturday. The heat around Paris will be pumping northward from Spain, where temperatures will return to near 40 C (lower 100s F) in Madrid starting on Friday.

Global Weather Outlook

Temperatures at Parc Montsouris in Paris soared to 39.7 C (103.5 F) on Wednesday. Since 1873, Météo-France states that is the second hottest temperature ever recorded in Paris, second only to 40.4 C (104.7 F) from July 28, 1947.
"Temperatures in London [at Heathrow Airport] soared to around 36.7 C (98.1 F) on Wednesday, setting a new all-time July high temperature record in the United Kingdom," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Eric Leister. "This is also the highest temperature since the heat wave of 2003."
A high in the low 20s C (low 70s F) is more common for the first day of July.
RELATED:
Europe Weather Center
Five Quick, Cheap Ways to Cope With Summer Heat
AccuWeather MinuteCast® for Your Location
"The worst [of the heat] is done for London," according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys. "The city will still get very warm [Friday and Saturday], but nothing like Wednesday."
Along the leading edge of Friday's heat, Roys is concerned for powerful thunderstorms to target parts of Germany and around the English Channel on Friday. The strongest thunderstorms will produce damaging winds, hail and frequent lightning.

Cities at risk for such thunderstorms include Hamburg and Munich, Germany; Rennes, France; Brussels, Belgium; and London.
Heavy thunderstorms will then cut back the heat for the second half of the weekend in Paris. However, Roys states that an end to the dangerous heat around Madrid will not come in the foreseeable future.
The intense heat will also spend this weekend expanding across central Europe to Berlin, Prague and Warsaw. Highs around 35 C (95 F) will bake Berlin both days this weekend with temperatures reaching the lower 30s C (lower 90s F) in Warsaw starting on Sunday.
Higher humidity will worsen the situation by causing AccuWeather RealFeel® temperatures to exceed actual temperatures.

"The hot days combined with warm nights will create dangerous conditions for those who are unable to escape the heat," Leister added.
To beat the heat, "People are reminded to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and avoid strenuous activities during the midday and afternoon hours [the hottest times of the day]," added Roys. "Cooling stations should be taken full advantage of."
"The pinnacle of the heat is this weekend for Berlin, but the city will stay warm into early next week. For Warsaw, the heat will peak on Monday but will last into midweek before relief comes later next week," continued Roys.
Much like around Paris this weekend, AccuWeather meteorologists will be monitoring the potential for violent thunderstorms to trim the heat.
As the heat eases from northwestern Europe, it will shift into the Balkan Peninsula later this weekend and early next week and then dominate the upcoming week.