Record temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius were reported across parts of Germany on Wednesday, marking the hottest day of 2025 so far.

Meteorologists forecast thunderstorms later in the evening that are expected to bring relief and an end to this week’s heatwave. The weather service warned of a “localized risk” of severe weather.

Preliminary data from the German Weather Service (DWD) said the western town of Andernach in western Germany reached 39.3 degrees. That was the highest reading at a location this year.

The second-highest measurement on Wednesday was in Tangerhütte-Demker in Saxony-Anhalt with 39.2 degrees, followed by the Bavarian town of Kitzingen at 39.1 degrees.

The all-time heat record for Germany was measured on July 25, 2019, at 41.2 degrees at the DWD weather stations in Tönisvorst and Duisburg-Baerl, both in the western state of North Rhine Westphalia.