Temperature records for Aug. 3 were broken at 56 of the Czech Republic's 171 long-operating weather stations, after forecasts warned of a renewed Central European heatwave. Strážnice in southern Moravia recorded 39.9 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever measured in the Moravia region, surpassing the previous Moravian and Silesian record of 39.7 degrees set in August 2013. Doksany in northwest Bohemia reached 40.1 degrees, while Přerovo and České Budějovice also set new all-time August highs.
The extreme conditions extended beyond the Czech Republic. Vienna recorded 40.1 degrees at its Stammersdorf station, a new high for the Austrian capital, prompting Geosphere Austria to issue red warnings for Vienna and parts of Lower Austria and Burgenland. In Slovakia, extreme drought now affects up to 55 percent of the country's territory, with low water levels on the Danube forcing navigation restrictions and diverting river cruise passengers to buses.
The heatwave follows a July that averaged 1.0 degree above the long-term norm, with rainfall reaching only 57 percent of normal levels.