Temperatures in Europe hovered around 100 degrees this week, turning everyday tasks for service members into a sweaty ordeal in a region where air conditioning is still relatively rare.
The mercury hit 97 degrees Wednesday afternoon in Wiesbaden, Germany, home of U.S. Army Europe and Africa, halfway through the second week of a record European heat wave.
Scorching conditions caused service members to seek shelter with fans, cold water and portable air conditioning units, and some commands adjusted work schedules.
At least 20 people have died in swimming accidents throughout Germany since the end of last week, mostly in unguarded lakes and rivers, as residents try to beat the heat, said Martin Holzhause, spokesman for the German lifesaving association DLRG.
“It’s hot,” Army Spc. Tyler Jones said as he hustled into the Tower Barracks exchange in Grafenwoehr on Wednesday afternoon. “I don’t even think we should be outside. (But) there’s no AC.”
Germany is known for its lack of air conditioning. People in the country have historically been less likely to install AC units in homes and offices because they are costly to run and hot weather generally lasts only a few weeks.
U.S. military buildings in Germany do not qualify for air conditioning unless they are medical clinics, child care facilities, physical fitness centers, exchange stores or commissaries, U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria spokeswoman Susanne Bartsch said, citing Army installation energy policy.
However, brutal heat waves in recent years have tested the Germans’ assumption. Temperatures in Wiesbaden were a comfortable 73 degrees on June 15 but rose to a sweltering 99 four days later.
A fountain cools patrons at a pool in Weiden, Germany, on June 24, 2026. The U.S. Army’s Tower Barracks are in nearby Grafenwoehr, which has been sweltering under a heat wave covering much of Europe. (Matthew M. Burke/Stars and Stripes)
They have hovered this week in the mid- to high 90s and could reach more than 100 by the weekend.
In Ansbach, meanwhile, temperature readings are the highest recorded at this time of year since data collection began in 1879, German outlet Fränkische Landeszeitung reported.
The Bavarian city is home to an Army garrison and the 12th Combat Aviation Brigade. Supervisors at U.S. Army Garrison Ansbach were encouraged to adjust work schedules to cooler parts of the day, spokesman Nathan Van Shaik said.
Spc. Grant Stahl, a member of the 41st Field Artillery Brigade like Jones, said staying hydrated is the best way to beat the heat. Many in the community flock to public pools in Grafenwoehr and Weiden.
Pfc. Brian Boedeker of the 3rd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment had sweat on his brow as he carried a gigantic water jug around Tower Barracks on Wednesday.
He said that the heat wave luckily coincided with his summer block leave, so he could spend more time in the barracks in front of a fan.
“You just got to suck it up, walk around, sweat it out,” he said with a smile. “It’s not all day.”
In Grafenwoehr, lights were off and fans were running in 7th Army Training Command buildings, spokeswoman Lacey Justinger said.
At the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, where exercise Spectrum Blitz was taking place, participants were allowed to blouse their pants and remove plates from their tactical vests.
The heat wave has stretched far beyond Germany. France recorded its hottest June day on record this week. Temperatures in parts of Spain are set to climb above 104 degrees. And Italian authorities have issued heat wave alerts in cities including Rome, Milan and Venice.
The furnace-like weather is being caused by a heat dome that has trapped hot air over large parts of Europe, according to forecasters.
The heat wave is expected to ease by the beginning of next week in some parts of Europe, including Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
