Temperatures break records

Temperatures in the Czech Republic broke records on Thursday, with highs of 37° Celsius recorded in places. The current record for the day, in 2006, was almost seven degrees cooler. Temperatures in the capital city of Prague reached 35.4° by midday. The current heat wave is not however expected to last much longer; temperatures should cool to as little as 15° Celsius at the weekend and forecasters predict heavy storms, hail and windstorms. While July has been one of the hottest in recorded history, meteorologists say that long stretches of tropical heat are not unordinary, with more than 30 such cases having occurred over the last 100 years.