Heatwave: Germany braces for temperatures over 35C

Forecasters say some regions in Germany will see temperatures up to 38C this weekend.

The German Weather Service DWD said on Monday that over the course of the week "increasingly hot subtropical air is making its way towards us".

They said this is coming from North Africa and Spain where the blast of heat is already resulting in high temperatures of over 40C.

The mercury is expected to go above 30C in Berlin on Saturday and hit around 36C on Sunday. The sun is expected to shine for 16 hours on both days, and rain is unlikely.

In Frankfurt it could hit 36C on both weekend days, and it will be similarly high in western regions. 

In parts of southern Germany, there are warnings that the heat poses a "danger to life" and people have been urged to take care. 

The public health department in Nuremberg, Bavaria, said: "If the heat warning value of the German Weather Service is reached, there may be an acute danger to life."

Authorities said that at 26C, "the body starts to react with increased sweating and circulatory problems". According to the statement, elderly people, the chronically ill and young children are among the groups particularly at risk.

Temperatures up to 30C and about 13 hours of sunshine are expected in southern Germany on Wednesday. In the second half of the week, the mercury is expected to rise up to 32C.

Along with the heat, there could be thunderstorms and rain in some regions. 

Cooler at the coast

But not all of Germany will see the heatwave. In the north and some eastern areas, it will be about 10C cooler.

Jaqueline Kernn, meteorologist at the German Weather Service (DWD), told Bild newspaper: "Although it will reach over 25C in places, it is by no means hot." On some parts of the coast it could, however, reach up to 30C. 

So why are there such big differences in the weather this week?

Meteorologist Dominik Jung from the weather service Wetter.net said it's due to the coastal effect.

"The sea brings wind towards the coast, and it is colder there than in the rest of the country," he told Bild. 

Jung said the heat front passing over Germany won't fully reach the north so cool air will remain there. 

"That's why it's extremely variable this weekend," he said. 

It comes after a mixed few weeks of weather that included extreme storms and hail that resembled snow in southern Germany earlier in June. 

READ ALSO: Severe storms and hail hit southern Germany

Here's a quick summary of the weather over the next few days:

Thursday (Corpus Christi regional holiday in some states): 23 to 33C, lots of sunshine, some thunderstorms in the southeast

Friday: 23 to 33C, mix of sun and clouds, few thunderstorms

Saturday: 27 to 38C, extreme heat and lots of sunshine

Sunday: 28 to 38C extreme heat and lots of sunshine, later thunderstorms from the northwest

Monday: 21 to 32C, mix of sun, clouds and thunderstorms, hot and humid