European heat wave gives Germany record temperature
By Associated Press
Jul 6, 2015 3:18 AM CDT
Children cool off in the water fountains in Nice, southeastern France, Sunday, July 5, 2015. A mass of hot air moving north from Africa is bringing unusually hot weather to Western Europe, with France in recent days experiencing temperatures around 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Lionel...   (Associated Press)

BERLIN (AP) — Europe's heat wave has pushed the mercury to its highest level in Germany since measurements began in 1881.

The country's national weather service says an automated measurement station recorded a temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius (104.54 Fahrenheit) in Kitzingen, northern Bavaria, on Sunday afternoon.

Weather service spokesman Uwe Kirsche said Monday that the record won't be official until technicians have manually checked the station.

But he says "we assume that our equipment worked properly."

The previous record of 40.2 Celsius was measured in the southwestern city of Karlsruhe in 2003.

Storms across parts of Germany on Sunday night brought temperatures back down.