Central Europe’s heatwave tightened its grip on Friday as Slovakia shattered its all-time temperature record for a second consecutive day, with thermometers hitting 42.2C in a southern village, the national weather agency reported. The back-to-back records underscore an exceptional stretch of searing temperatures paired with scarce rainfall across central Europe. In Slovakia alone, the country’s longstanding temperature mark has now been broken twice in June, highlighting how rapidly conditions have escalated during the current spell. Austria, Slovakia’s neighbour to the west, has also registered record-breaking heat twice this week. Experts say climate change has amplified drought across Europe this summer, with prolonged extreme heat fueling unusually dry ground and worsening water stress.