Slovakia and Czech Republic break temperature records as heat wave peaks
Slovakia experienced an extreme heat wave in early August, with the meteorological station in Štrkovce measuring 41.6 °C on 6 August, a value that could become a new national absolute temperature record pending verification by the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). The previous high of 41.4 °C was recorded the day before in Kamenica nad Hronom. SHMÚ also issued first‑degree thunderstorm warnings for districts in the Trenčín and Žilina regions as convective cells and lightning developed across central Slovakia.
In the Czech Republic, 77 % of long‑standing weather stations reported new absolute temperature maxima in 2023. The highest value, 41.9 °C, was logged in Doksany on 28 June, surpassing the former national record of 40.4 °C. Additional records were set during the August heat wave, including a 41 °C reading in Strážnice on 5 August, establishing a new absolute high for Moravia and Silesia. Five separate days this year saw temperatures reach or exceed 40 °C, a frequency unprecedented in the country’s modern climate record.
Entities: Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ) · Doksany, Czech Republic · Kamenica nad Hronom, Slovakia · Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) · Slovakia · Štrkovce · Štrkovce, Slovakia
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The first lightning of the day was recorded at 12:48 near the Slovak‑Hungarian border on 6 August 2023. (4e91b3ae-f097-4be3-a1fb-00dac9d95644)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Doksany recorded a temperature of 41.9 °C on 28 June 2023, a new Czech absolute record. (dcecded8-bda3-44e9-9ed0-c049c9adc007)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Five days in 2023 saw temperatures of 40 °C or higher in the Czech Republic. (41937218-243b-488b-90fb-35cdcec3a46d)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] SHMÚ issued first‑degree thunderstorm warnings for districts in the Trenčín and Žilina regions on 6 August 2023. (4e91b3ae-f097-4be3-a1fb-00dac9d95644)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Štrkovce recorded a temperature of 41.6 °C on 6 August 2023. (31290885-9af5-4c3d-a802-8e05189b7bdb)
- [● 2 SOURCES] 77 % of long‑term Czech weather stations broke absolute temperature records in 2023. (dcecded8-bda3-44e9-9ed0-c049c9adc007)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Strážnice recorded 41 °C on 5 August 2023, a new absolute record for Moravia and Silesia. (41937218-243b-488b-90fb-35cdcec3a46d)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Kamenica nad Hronom recorded 41.4 °C on 5 August 2023, the previous Slovak record. (31290885-9af5-4c3d-a802-8e05189b7bdb)