Extract from ABC News
Record heat forecasts are hanging over Europe and Japan, as tens of millions battle dangerously high temperatures in the United States, in the latest example of the threat from global warming.
Key points:
- The European Space Agency has warned of "potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded"
- A US heatwave stretching from California to Texas is expected to peak
- Climate experts blame El Niño and global warming for the record heat and deadly rainfalls around the world
In Europe, Italy faces weekend predictions of historic highs with the health ministry issuing a red alert for 16 cities, including Rome, Bologna and Florence.
The weather centre warned Italians to prepare for "the most intense heatwave of the summer and also one of the most intense of all time".
The thermometer is likely to hit 40 degrees Celsius in Rome by Monday and even 43C on Tuesday, smashing the record of 40.5C set in August 2007.
The islands of Sicily and Sardinia could also wilt under temperatures as high as 48C.
The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, has warned Europe will face "potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded" on the continent.
It comes after the world recorded its hottest day ever last week, with scientists blaming the combination of long-term global warming with the short-term boost from El Niño — a regular warm-weather pattern originating in the Pacific.
Acropolis closed for third day
Athens' Acropolis — one of Greece's top tourist attractions — will close on Sunday for the third day straight during the hottest hours expected.
In France, high temperatures and resulting drought are posing a threat to the farming industry, earning Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau criticism from climatologists on Saturday for having brushed aside conditions as "normal enough for summer".
This June was the second-hottest on record in France, according to the national weather agency, and several areas of the country have been under a heatwave alert since Tuesday.
There is little reprieve ahead for Spain, as its meteorological agency warned on Saturday that a new heatwave Monday through Wednesday will bring temperatures above 40C to the Canary Islands and the southern Andalusia region.
'Not typical desert heat'
A powerful heatwave stretching from California to Texas was expected to peak as the US National Weather Service warned of an "extremely hot and dangerous weekend".
Daytime highs were forecast to range between 5 and 10 degrees Celsius above normal in the west.
In Arizona, one of the hardest-hit states, residents face a daily endurance marathon against the sun.
State capital Phoenix recorded 16 straight days above 43C, with temperatures hitting 43.9C on Saturday en route to an expected 46C.
California's Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is also likely to register new peaks on Sunday, with the mercury possibly rising to 54C.
Temperatures had already reached 48C by midday on Saturday and even overnight lows could exceed 38C.
The Las Vegas weather service warned that assuming high temperatures naturally come with the area's desert climate was "a DANGEROUS mindset! This heatwave is NOT typical desert heat".
Southern California is fighting numerous wildfires, including one in Riverside County that has burned more than 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) and prompted evacuation orders.
Heat waves are occurring more often and more intensely in major cities in the United States, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency, with a frequency of six per year during the 2010s and 2020s compared to two per year during the 1960s.
"This heat wave is NOT typical desert heat," the National Weather Service's Las Vegas branch tweeted, specifying that "its long duration, extreme daytime temperatures, & warm nights" were unusual.
Further north, the Canadian government reported that wildfires had burned a record-breaking 10 million hectares this year, with more damage expected as the summer drags on.
Killer rains in Asia
Parts of eastern Japan are also expected to reach 38 to 39C on Sunday and Monday, with the meteorological agency warning temperatures could hit previous records.
Relentless monsoon rains have reportedly killed at least 90 people in northern India, after burning heat.
The Yamuna river running through the capital New Delhi has reached a record high, threatening low-lying neighbourhoods in the megacity of more than 20 million people.
Major flooding and landslides are common during India's monsoons, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity.
Meteorologist Bob Henderson from Yale Climate Connections says El Niño also "tends to redistribute where it's raining really hard across the globe".
Morocco was slated for above-average temperatures this weekend with highs of 47C in some provinces — more typical of August than July — sparking concerns for water shortages, the meteorological service said.
Meanwhile, water-scarce Jordan was forced to dump 214 tonnes of water on a wildfire that broke out in its northern Ajloun forest amid a heatwave, the army said.
AFP/Reuters
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