COPENHAGEN — Denmark recorded its highest temperature since national weather records began in 1874 on Saturday as a heatwave continued across Europe, the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) said.
DMI said temperatures reached 37.0 degrees Celsius in Beldringe, north of Odense, and in Odum, north of Aarhus, surpassing the previous national record of 36.4 degrees set in August 1975.
The agency first reported a temperature of 36.6 degrees Celsius north of Odense before announcing an hour later that temperatures had climbed to 37.0 degrees.
“We’ve got a new heat record for the absolute highest temperature ever measured in Denmark,” DMI meteorologist Rasmus Stoltze Hansen said in a statement.
DMI had warned that temperatures could break the national record as the heatwave spread across the country.
People in Copenhagen sought relief from the heat by gathering near fountains and swimming in the city’s harbor.
“I’m feeling a bit better now, but yeah I’m slowly melting away,” said 26-year-old environmental engineer Lasse Fjeldgaard after swimming in the harbor.
Serine Helland, a 28-year-old consultant from Norway who lives in Copenhagen, said people should take precautions during the extreme heat.
“You’ve just got to stay hydrated and stay in the shade and watch out for your friends and strangers,” Helland said.
The record temperatures coincided with the opening of the Roskilde music festival, where public broadcaster DR reported that organizers installed additional water stations for about 50,000 attendees.
Meteorologist Peter Tanev of broadcaster TV2 said scientists had expected Denmark’s temperature record to be broken because of global warming.
“The question right now is how long this record will stand. It’s probably only a matter of time before we reach 40 degrees in Denmark,” Tanev said.
Several European countries have recorded extreme temperatures in recent days as the heatwave continued across the continent.
An AFP analysis estimated that nearly 200 million people would experience temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Emergency services in several countries also reported responding to heat-related illnesses and drowning incidents.
