Hungary records new national heat record at 42 degrees

Government responds with measures

Restrictions on water use were in effect in more than 120 Hungarian municipalities. The authorities were responding to the ongoing drought and the sharply increased strain on supply infrastructure. Citizens were called upon to limit their water consumption.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar had called on the population to limit their water consumption and to refrain from non-essential activities such as watering lawns and washing cars. At the same time, he ordered that public sector employees, wherever possible, work from home and that working hours be shortened in order to reduce the health risks of the extreme heat.

Since the weekend, the highest heat warning level had been in effect in Hungary. Meteorologists and authorities pointed to the particular risk to elderly people, the chronically ill, and children, who should drink sufficient fluids and avoid direct sunlight. Even during the nighttime hours, there was little cooling in many regions, making recovery difficult.

Context: Heatwave in Central Europe

The new record figure is part of a series of extreme weather events in Central Europe that have repeatedly shifted the benchmarks in recent years. Climate researchers see such values as an indication of the effects of advancing climate change, even though a single day cannot yet prove long-term trends.

Appeal to the population

The Hungarian weather service announced that it would continue to review the measurements in the coming days and officially confirm the date and the exact location of the record value. Until then, the figure was considered a preliminary high that illustrated the dimension of the heatwave.

The authorities asked the population to pay special attention to elderly neighbors and people living alone, and to seek medical help at the first signs of heatstroke or dehydration. Numerous cities set up public spaces with air conditioning or cool water as places to go for relief.