Unforgiving heat roasted parts of the Northern Hemisphere on Monday, prompting health advisories in the latest vivid illustration of the effects of climate change.
People drank water and sought relief from the oppressive heat as temperatures climbed towards records across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Europe, the globe’s fastest-warming continent, was bracing for its hottest-ever temperature this week on Italy’s islands of Sicily and Sardinia, where a high of 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) is predicted, according to the European Space Agency.
The mercury was due to hit 40C after noon on Monday in Rome, where some 15,000 braved the temperatures the previous day to hear Pope Francis lead prayers, using parasols and fans to keep cool.
In Japan, heatstroke alerts were issued in 32 out of the country’s 47 prefectures, mainly in central and southwestern regions, as scorching temperatures continued Monday.
At least 60 people in Japan were treated for heatstroke, local media reported.
The heat was enough for at least one man to dispense with social mortification in Hamamatsu city.
By late afternoon, Toyota city, home to the leading automaker, had recorded the country’s highest temperature for the day of 39.1 degrees Celsius, as television broadcasters urged people to stay indoors and avoid the life-threatening heat.
Japan’s highest-ever temperature was 41.1C first recorded in Kumagaya city in 2018.
In Western and southern states in the US, which are used to high temperatures, more than 80 million people were under advisories as a “widespread and oppressive” heatwave roasted the region.
California’s Death Valley, often among the hottest places on Earth, reached a near-record 52C Sunday afternoon.
In Arizona, the state capital Phoenix recorded its 17th straight day above 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), as temperatures hit 113F (45C) on Sunday afternoon.
In Europe, Italians were warned to prepare for “the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time”.
Predictions of historic highs in the coming days led the health ministry to sound a red alert for 16 cities including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
Temperatures were due to hit 42C-43C in Rome on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007.
Greece saw a brief respite on Monday, as temperatures eased a bit and the Acropolis in Athens resumed its regular opening hours after closing down for three days during the hottest time of the day.
In Romania, temperatures are expected to reach 39C on Monday across most of the country.
Along with the heat, parts of Asia have also been battered by torrential rain.
South Korea’s president vowed Monday to “completely overhaul” the country’s approach to extreme weather, after at least 40 people were killed in recent flooding and landslides during monsoon rains, which are forecast to continue through Wednesday.
In northern India, relentless monsoon rains have reportedly killed at least 90 people, following burning heat.
Major flooding and landslides are common during India’s monsoons, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
China on Sunday issued several temperature alerts, warning of 40-45C in the partly desert region of Xinjiang, and 39C in southern Guangxi region.
It can be difficult to attribute a particular weather event to climate change, but many scientists insist that global warming is behind the intensification of heatwaves.
The EU’s climate monitoring service said the world saw its hottest June on record last month.
