* Heatwave sets more records as it moves through Germany

* Soaring temperatures put pressure on public infrastructure

* Dozens of deaths linked to heat

* Some cooling expected as weekend progresses

By Thomas Seythal, Francesca Landini and Stine Jacobsen

BERLIN/MILAN/COPENHAGEN, June 27 (Reuters) - From

Scandinavia to the Alps, Europeans endured sweltering conditions

on Saturday as a heatwave linked to dozens of deaths spread

east, shattering records with temperatures in some areas soaring

above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

Preliminary all-time temperature records were set on

Saturday in Germany, Denmark and the Czech Republic, and a new

mark for the month of June in Switzerland. Similar records have

been broken earlier this week in France and Britain.

Scientists said the stifling heatwave would have been

virtually impossible without man-made climate change, which has

made this week's night-time temperatures 100 times more likely

than they would have been even two decades ago.

"This heat isn't pleasant summer weather. It's a health

crisis," Katrin Goering-Eckardt, a German federal lawmaker and

former leader of the Green Party, said on X.

Such was the heat in Berlin, where temperatures climbed to

39 C on Saturday, that police deployed two water cannons across

the city to spray mist onto people looking for relief.

Saturday's new preliminary German record of 41.5 C in

Möckern-Drewitz in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt topped a

record set just the day before of 41.3 C near Saarbruecken on

the French border, Germany's Meteorological Service said.

The Danish Meteorological Institute meanwhile reported a 37

C reading north of the city of Aarhus on Saturday, the highest

on record since measurements began in 1874.

Preliminary readings in the Czech Republic also showed

record temperatures on Saturday afternoon, with 40.8 C measured

north of Prague, the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute said.

In the Slovak capital Bratislava, authorities recorded the

hottest night on record on Friday.

PEOPLE URGED TO SAVE WATER

German authorities issued extreme heat warnings for nearly

the whole of the country on Saturday. As the heatwave moved

east, temperatures rose well over 30 C across almost all of

Poland.

In France, dozens of people, both young and old, have died

during the heatwave. Temperatures above 40 C have disrupted rail

travel and power generation, sparked alcohol bans, suspended

classes and postponed outdoor events.

France's government said summer sales would be extended this

year after a slow start due to the heatwave.

Italy's health ministry issued a red alert for the heatwave

in 18 cities including Milan, Rome, Turin, Venice, Genoa,

Florence and Bologna for Saturday and Sunday.

The flow of theRiver Pohas dropped dramatically, with

seawater advancing deep inland, posing threats to local farming

and the ecosystem of Italy's most important waterway.

Even at night in the Alps there was little relief, with

temperatures in Bolzano in Italy's South Tyrol never falling

below 25.4 C, the city's meteorologist Dieter Peterlin said, a

June record. Ecologists fear for Europe's glaciers.

FREE CANCELLATIONS TO REDUCE RAIL TRAVEL

Struggling with the prospect of damage to infrastructure,

including buckling roads and swelling train tracks, some rail

providers have sought to reduce traffic.

German national rail operator Deutsche Bahn allowed

customers to cancel long-distance travel into early next week.

Another operator, National Express, said it would suspend some

trains on Saturday afternoon in North Rhine-Westphalia,

Germany's most populous state, as a precaution.

Near Hamburg, the main traffic lane on one of Germany's

busiest motorways was partially closed after heat split the

asphalt.

In Switzerland, the Lausanne Pride march had extra water

fountains and first responders, while Milan's Pride march was

pushed back until 5 p.m. (1500 GMT) to curb the heat's impact.

The Ironman European Championship long-distance triathlon

taking place on Sunday in Frankfurt shortened the cycling and

running courses due to the heat.

RECORD TEMPERATURES DRIVEN BY 'OMEGA BLOCK' PHENOMENON

The most extreme heat is forecast to begin fading at the

weekend, with heavy thunderstorms expected on Sunday. Paris said

it would close its parks, gardens and the Canal Saint-Martin

swimming area early on Saturday due to storm forecasts.

Across Europe, cultural landmarks have had to close, farming

has suffered, and some hospitals have struggled to cope.

The heatwave has pushed temperatures well above their

seasonal average, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor,

driven by ​a phenomenon known as an Omega block because of a

shape similar to the Greek letter.

This weather pattern traps a bulging ball of hot air over

regions for extended periods, with cooler air on its fringes.