'This isn't normal': Germany braces for fourth heatwave of summer

On Thursday temperatures around Germany will spike to up 38C - reigning in the fourth heat wave of the summer. 

Due to climate change, says Latif, there is double the amount of Hitzewellen in Germany as in 1980. 

“That is not normal anymore,” said Mojib Latif, a climate researcher at the Helmholz Center for Ocean Research in Kiel, told the Augsburger Allgemeine. “It’s everything other than normal.”

A warm week ahead

In light of the rising temperatures, German Weather Service (DWD) has issued a “Warning Level II”, given whenever there is an extreme “heat stress load.”

Yet there will be large differences in temperatures within Germany. For the north and northeast, meteorologists are predicting temperatures will rise up to 26C, whereas they will likely rise to 33C in the rest of the country.

Tuesday will become even warmer, according to DWD, with the Mercury spiking to 36C in the southwest and 30C in the northeast, with only the coasts staying cool. At night, temperatures likely won’t fall below 20C in some places. 

DWD maps out the temperatures around Germany in the coming week.

There will be a similar picture on Wednesday, with a lot of sun and temperatures stretching between 30 and 36C in most of the country. In the west and southwest temperatures could go up to 38C. It will only remain cooler at the coats, where temperatures could rise up to 38C.

Thursday is likely to be the hottest day of the week, say meteorologists, with temperatures around the country rising to between 33 and 38C around the country, and potentially even hotter in some places. 

Staying cool amid the heat

In light of the heat wave, which according to current forecasts could last at least until the weekend following this one, it's important to drink a lot of water during the day and keep surroundings at a lower temperature.

SEE ALSO: Red Cross tells Germans to leave their fans on and windows open

"Keep your home cool, because a restful night's sleep helps to cope better with the heat of the day," DWD recommends.

Even the three heat waves of the summer were an “unusually high number and some of them long lasting,” according to DWD. Altogether, this year saw the warmest and sunniest June since the beginning of area-wide measurements.

SEE ALSO: Germany records its hottest June temperature

The German heat record was set on August 5th, 2015, and most likely won’t be broken this week, said Latif. “But we’ll be coming very close to it.”

What explains the heat?

The Arctic and sub-Arctic are warming up twice as fast as the rest of the world, according to climate expert Latif

There are three reasons: First, the so-called climatic heat transport to the North Sea has become stronger. As a result, there is less ice that the sun can reflect, which also increases temperatures. "In addition, the amount of water vapour in the Arctic has increased," said Latif.

The burden on the climate is also a consequence of the constantly growing number of people, he added. The world population has almost doubled in the last 50 years to 7.7 billion.