A German motorway was closed on Thursday after concrete sections cracked and lifted in temperatures well above 30 degrees Celsius, as forecasters predicted Germany was heading for its hottest July on record.
The A5 highway near the western city of Frankfurt was set to undergo emergency repairs overnight Friday after pieces of the surface lifted 20 to 30 centimetres (eight to 12 inches).
Several vehicles were damaged after driving over the damaged sections, police in the state of Hesse said.
Meanwhile, weather experts said that with a nationwide average temperature of 22 degrees — five degrees higher than usual for the season — July was heading into the record books as the hottest in record.
"All of our projections are clearly pointing to that," said climate specialist Reik Schaab.
Temperatures in Germany were expected to reach 38 degrees Celsius on Thursday before cooling over the weekend when storms were forecast.
The heatwave in Europe has claimed an estimated 80 lives and authorities said France was experiencing its hottest July for 50 years.
