Spanish
Berlin, July 2 (EFE).- Germany is facing the hottest day so far this year on Wednesday, with temperatures that in some places can reach 40 °C, warnings of extreme heat, particularly in the west and southwest, and locally strong storms from midday, while citizens seek refuge in swimming pools, fountains, churches and air-conditioned places.
By Tuesday, the German Meteorological Service (DWD) recorded in Kitzginen, in the federal state of Bavaria (south), the highest temperature so far this year, with 37.8 °C, and everything indicates that this record will be broken today, although not the historical one, which dates from June 25, 2019, when the thermometers marked 41.2 °C in Tönisvorst and Duisburg-Baerl, in the "Land" of North Rhine-Westphalia (northwest).
To combat the heat, citizens opt for classic solutions such as soaking in pools and fountains, cooling off with ice cream, or seeking refuge in air-conditioned places, such as museums, cinemas, and shopping centers.
In Berlin, among the proposals to escape the extreme heat is to take refuge in the Brandeburger Tor subway station, ideal for tourists who usually visit this monument and which is located 17 meters deep.
But in addition to the U5 metro line, whose most recent section runs under the central Unter den Linden avenue, the U8 also offers more pleasant temperatures with the deepest station in Berlin's underground transport network, Gesundbrunnen, 18 meters below ground.
On the other hand, some places of worship are opening their doors this Wednesday as shelters, particularly for the homeless who have no other options to escape the stifling heat, according to the regional Protestant Church.
In most of them there is drinking water and, in some cases, also food for people in need.
According to the DWD, this heat wave, which peaks today, will give way to a gradual decrease in temperatures starting Thursday, with highs in the northwest between 20 and 26 degrees and between 25 and 32 degrees in the southeast.
