On Tuesday, it was especially hot in Northern Germany. “The absolute peak of the day was 35.9 degrees in Lingen in Lower Saxony,” said German Weather Service (DWD) meteorologist Florian Engelmann. “This marked the warmest day of the year so far.”

The high temperatures even led to a temporary closure of Hanover airport on Tuesday evening, after the airport's main runway suffered heat damage. The closure affected 41 departures and 44 landings, according to an airport spokesperson. Passengers stranded at the airport overnight were provided with camp beds, before normal service resumed on Wednesday morning.

A car inspects the runway at Hanover airport Wednesday morning to make sure the area is safe for take-off. Photo: DPA

According to the DWD, the small city of Barsinghausen in the Hanover region snagged second place for Tuesday temperature highs. The temperature in the district of Hohenbostel reached 35.6 degrees.

Only marginally cooler was Bernburg (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt: with 35.1 degrees, the district town made it to third place.

“For the northern part of Germany it was one of the hottest days of the year,” said Engelmann. In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, on the other hand, people sweated a little less. “They only measured around 27 degrees, so there were hotter days this year.”

“Heatwave on the horizon!” proclaims the German Weather Service in a tweet about Tuesday temperatures. Photo: DPA

Germany also experienced a tropical night on Tuesday, with temperatures only slightly cooler in the morning.

In Hamburg the thermometer showed an average of 23 degrees at night, in Saarland 22 degrees and in Berlin 20 degrees.

In most parts of the country, the sky stayed starry and cloudless in many places. “This is really very warm,” a speaker from the German Weather Service (DWD) said.

During the day, the sweltering and sweaty temperatures will continue, with the maximum temperatures expected to reach between 30 and 36 degrees.

By comparison, it will stay cooler in the higher mountains and on the coasts of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, with temperatures between 26 and 29 degrees, DWD predicted.

In addition to posing a risk of forest and field fires, the hot weather can also pose health consequences like dehydration and heat stroke, said DWD meteorologist Andreas Matzarakis.

“If your employer allows flextime, you may start early in the morning and go home at noon to spend less hot hours in the office,” he said.

The best measure against heat however, wrote DWD on its website, “is to go to the lake or open-air swimming pool and jump into the cooling water there.”

Amid high temperatures, a woman jumps into a Berlin lake last week. Photo: DPA