Central Europe sizzles as heat records are smashed in Switzerland, Denmark and Czech Republic

Temperatures soared to record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that baked western European countries this week moved to central and eastern parts of the continent.

BERLIN — Temperatures soared to record highs from Switzerland to the Czech Republic and Denmark on Saturday, as a heat wave that baked western European countries this week moved to central and eastern parts of the continent.

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Unusually high temperatures were recorded even in the Nordic countries not known for sweltering summers. Denmark’s Meteorological Institute reported a record 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit in Ødum north of Aarhus — the warmest day since records there began in 1874.

People gathered at Amager Beach in Copenhagen on Saturday.Emil Nicolai Helms / Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty ImagesIn Switzerland, a record 101.8 F was set in the city of Basel.