39.9 degrees Celsius: a record high for Berlin

According to the German Weather Service (DWD), Berlin's all-time temperature record has been broken. Preliminary data indicate that temperatures of 39.9 degrees Celsius were recorded in Berlin-Tempelhof on Saturday, the DWD reported.

The previous all-time record for Berlin was set on August 7, 2015, at 38.9 degrees in Berlin-Kaniswall in the Treptow-Köpenick district. The highest temperature ever recorded in Berlin in June is 38.6 degrees, which was measured on June 30, 2019, in Tegel. The DWD had considered a new record likely. The national record also fell: The preliminary high of 41.5 degrees was recorded at 4:20 p.m. in Möckern-Drewitz, Saxony-Anhalt, as the weather service reported upon request.

According to the DWD, heat waves lasting five to six days with temperatures above 30 degrees—and in some cases even above 35 degrees—typically occur in July or August. The long hours of sunshine in June mean that temperatures do not drop as much at night. At this time of year, daily highs are expected in the late afternoon or early evening, between 5 and 6 p.m. The heat wave is expected to continue through Sunday. Starting Monday, temperatures are expected to drop again, with highs ranging from 29 to 32 degrees in Berlin and Brandenburg.