Overview
- The heat wave reaches its highest point on Friday and Saturday with widespread highs of 35–39 °C and localized readings near 40 °C, prompting DWD heat warnings for large parts of western Germany.
- A northwest cold front is forecast to arrive late Saturday into Sunday and bring showers and thunderstorms, with some model runs showing heavy localized totals while others produce much less rain.
- Officials and experts say weekend precipitation is unlikely to end the ongoing drought or raise critically low Rhine levels that have already disrupted shipping and forced load limits.
- Health and safety risks are severe: authorities warn of heat illness during hot days and tropical nights, elevated forest‑fire danger, and the prospect of storm hazards such as heavy rain, hail or strong gusts.
- The episode builds on an unusually hot June and July recorded by Copernicus, and meteorologists view this as probably the last major extreme heat peak of the summer even though warm spells may continue into September.