Germany groans under the extreme heat. For the tenth time since temperature measurements began, over 40 degrees were measured, with some federal states reporting record numbers. As a result, a medical association is demanding a heat protection plan from the federal government.
In several federal states, the highest temperature values have been measured there since weather records began. Bad Mergentheim-Neunkirchen was the leader at 3:30 p.m. with 40.3 degrees, as a spokesman for the German Weather Service (DWD) reported. This also broke the previous record for Baden-Württemberg of 40.2 degrees in Freiburg in August 2003.
This is also the tenth time that a temperature of more than 40 degrees has been measured in Germany since records began - this was last in 2019.
At 3:20 p.m., the provisionally highest state values were 39.8 degrees in Uelzen in Lower Saxony and also 39.8 degrees in Huy-Pabstorf in Saxony-Anhalt – these were heat records for both countries. "But the values could still be broken by the evening," said DWD spokesman Andreas Friedrich. Because the temperatures were still rising. It is also quite possible that the 40 degree mark will also be reached at other weather stations. According to the DWD data, the temperatures measured on site actually reached higher values in the afternoon.
The Lower Saxony Medical Association called for better protection for the chronically ill and the elderly. Retirement and nursing homes therefore need heat protection officers who monitor the temperature development and prepare older people for hot days. In order to better protect homeless people from the heat, social workers and volunteers distributed drinking water, sunscreen and hats in Hanover, for example. The so-called first aid packages, which have been distributed to those in need since the beginning of the week, have been well received, said a city spokesman.
Provisional state records were also recorded with 39.7 degrees in Hamburg Neuwiedenthal and 38.4 degrees in Krambek in Schleswig-Holstein. The final record values of the day should not be set until after 8 p.m., it said.
In the debate about a heat protection plan, the Marburger Bund medical association continues to see the federal government as responsible. "National guidelines can help us get a bit of a tempo in development," said Susanne Johna, chairwoman of Deutschlandfunk. It is not about dictating things to the municipalities. She is calling for nationwide guidelines from which the municipalities should develop their own plans.
"It's not enough to think about individual buildings, we really have to think across cities. We need more greening of cities," Johna continued. She also understands the situation in the municipalities, because it involves structural measures and they have a lot to organize due to the corona pandemic. The President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, recently called for a heat protection plan.
