The heat wave is upon us. "On Thursday, it goes into full swing. There will be only a few spots where 30 degrees will not be reached," announced meteorologist Jens Hoffmann of the German Weather Service (DWD) in Offenbach on Wednesday. In many regions of Germany, even 35 degrees and more are possible. Also on Friday and on the weekend it remains very hot, thunderstorms are possible.

According to forecasts so far, the heat wave should subside at the beginning of next week. According to Hoffmann, such temperatures in mid-June are not unusual. "We've had that every now and then in recent years."Isolated thunderstorms are possible in the west on Thursday. "Where it comes down, it can get really down to business with strong squalls, hail and downpours," the meteorologist explained.

On Friday, the thunderstorms in the west will spread a little more, at the same time the east will become the hot spot of Germany. 37 degrees are announced by the DWD. Also in the rest of the Republic, the values remain above 30 degrees, but it will not be quite as hot as the previous day.Also on Saturday, it will be sweaty in the east at 37 degrees, in the northwest, however, the temperatures fall below the 30-degree mark. The thunderstorms will say goodbye and move on to the east and south of the country.

In Karlsruhe, the increased temperatures have already made themselves felt. The city's streetcars and light rail systems will not be able to run regularly on Wednesday due to damage to the rail network. For the time being, an emergency concept is therefore in effect for the streetcars, as the Karlsruhe Transport Authority (VBK) announced last night. Due to the rail replacement traffic, there may be bottlenecks and cancellations.

All streetcar and light rail services had already been suspended on Tuesday. According to a spokesman for the transport company, the reason was damage to several rail lines possibly caused by summer heat. "Pedestrians and cyclists are asked to be especially careful in the area of the tracks throughout the city until the damage and contamination are completely removed by VBK," the statement continued.