Slovakia hits temperature record for 2nd day running

Slovakia set an all-time temperature high for the second day running Thursday, recording 42.2C in a southern village, the national weather agency said, as a heatwave gripped central Europe.

The reading in the village of Dolne Plachtince broke the record of 41.4C set on Wednesday in southwestern Slovakia, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMU) said in a statement sent to AFP.

The records come during an exceptional spell of hot weather and low rainfall across central Europe.

In Bratislava, which has also seen record high temperatures this week, Maros Danko, 38, said he was spending more time at home than usual.

"I try not to go out, I can't go do sports during the day. It's limiting," he told AFP on Wednesday.

In Slovakia, the all-time temperature record had already been broken twice in June.

Neighbouring Austria has also twice broken temperatures temperatures this week.

Climate change has intensified a drought across Europe this summer, with extreme heat driving the exceptionally dry conditions, according to experts.