Well, some media reported a new record of 40.3°C in Germany while others continue to claim we just fell short. Suspiciously absent are news of casualties, but there has been a handful in our little town alone. The coldest place in Germany not on a mountain top, the narrow valley gets plenty of inverted weather with high fog blocking the sun. The heat record here's now 35.6°, after 34.8° in 2012 and 34.5° in 2003. We had 5 days above 30° back to back, 7 so far this season. Average is 1. Who would have thought the atrocious heatwave of 2003, a "once in a century" event, would be topped just 12 years later and much, much worse? It's bloody 50° north here, just can't be hotter than Pattaya. I had 33° in my appartment for several days, more indoors than I ever had at Songkran in sin city. Other than there, no aircon here of course. It sucks. I'm open to suggestions what causes it other than global warming. Is the sun burning hotter? Also combed the solar intensity readings, and we weren't above 800 Watts/sqm yet. July normally tops out at 1,000.