The Czech Republic broke daily temperature records at 108 of 171 long-term stations on Thursday, with the highest reading of 39.4°C logged at Plzeň-Bolevec, after the country endured its most intense heatwave since an all-time national record was set in June.
The heat disrupted rail services on multiple routes and prompted high ground-level ozone smog alerts across five regions, later lifted in the evening. Authorities in the Central Bohemian and South Moravian regions banned open fires, off-road driving and pyrotechnics to curb wildfire risk. Rescue workers responded to five carbon monoxide poisoning cases in Prague, one fatal, as improperly ventilated gas appliances proved dangerous in the heat.
Violent evening storms swept in from Bavaria with wind gusts around 70 km/h, toppling trees and halting trains. One person died when a tree fell on an open-air theatre in nearby Saxon Switzerland, Germany.